Fearless
by DuckiePray
Summary: Two months after "Resolution", the entrance of mysterious new adversaries and a missing woman bring turmoil back to the surface for the entire family. Warning - "simple" is not a word in my vocabulary.
1. Just Another Night?

***I do not own anything related to the TMNT. The following is the seventh installment in a continuing series. That being said, there is already a lot of existing history, but I will do my best throughout to catch everyone up, even if you aren't familiar with my other stories. If you'd like a better understanding of my OC's, or what's happened to get us to this point, a look back over earlier material could suit you well. Thank you for reading, thank you for reviewing. It means very much to me! And with no further introduction, let's get right to it, shall we?**

* * *

Waiting; there were few things in this world that irritated Raphael more. Almost as much as the light rain that had slackened off slightly for awhile, only to pick up again in nearly driving force. What it _refused_ to do was stop completely. True, he and Leonardo were avoiding most of it from their hidden perch under the overhang of the building, but that didn't change the fact that they'd been sitting in the same spot, nearly unmoving for the last forty-five minutes.

"Fearless, do you think we could be wasting our time?" The red-banded turtle spoke up in exasperation. "There's gotta be some more action around here, I didn't sign on for some freakin' stake-out. Can we shove off already?"

Leonardo shook his head at his younger brother. "Are you _ever _going to settle down Raph? To be in the right place, at the right time, sometimes requires a little bit of waiting."

Raphael sighed heavily, and leaned back harder against the brick. He didn't like to admit it out loud, but Leonardo's hunches were usually correct. He'd learned over the years that it was better to give the turtle the benefit of the doubt sometimes.

Leonardo had first spotted the shady looking characters, about two blocks away from the building they'd now been camped outside of for close to an hour. The men had completely disregarded the front entrance of the club, entering instead by the side of the alley, a fact that only seemed to intrigue the blue-banded turtle more.

"Just a few more minutes Raph." Leonardo encouraged him. "I don't want to sit out here all night anymore than you do. They gave me a really weird feeling, that's all. It looked like..."

"Like what Leo? I really wanna hear it."

"They were hunting, but it didn't feel random. They've got some specific target in mind, and this club has something to do with it."

"You got all that from a look?"

Leonardo shot him a smile, but his phone vibrated before he could respond to Raphael again. Donny.

The blue-banded turtle held up his hand to signal his brother to wait for a minute, and flipped the phone open. "Hey Don, what's up?" Leonardo intentionally kept his voice down.

"Is this a bad time?" His brother asked on the other end.

"Nah, it's fine, we're just trying to be incognito at this second. Is everything alright with you and Mike?"

"We're great, just _wet_. We were thinking about calling it a night in a few minutes here. Where did you and Raph end up?"

"We're a couple of miles off 64th, kind of trying to wait something out."

"Geesh Leo, how'd you get so far from where we started?"

"We weren't finding anything, so we just hit the roofs. I have a feeling that something's about to go down in this neighborhood, so we've been hanging out for the last hour or so."

"Would you have any qualms if we headed that direction? I know you guys can find your own way home, but it's seriously starting to pick up again. It'd be nicer to ride in the van, don't you think? I don't wanna step on anything you've got going on though."

Leonardo glanced at his watch, as he considered it for a moment. "It'd take you a few minutes to get here anyway, right? Go ahead and get on the road, and if something happens before you get here, we'll just go with it. If not, we'll be ready to go too."

"Why don't you set your beacon for us so I can track you, and I'll call you when we get close." Donny suggested to him.

"That works bro - see you in a bit." Leonardo replied, and hung up the phone, just as Raphael's arm made firm contact with his plastron.

"Check it out Fearless." He hissed, motioning toward the side door of the building.

Both turtles sat up straighter from underneath the overhang as the door was coming open, so that drops of rain were hitting them in the face again. It looked like it could be the same men they'd followed here to begin with, but their number was now increased by two additional figures. The turtles automatically stiffened at the sight of the much smaller bodies that were being dragged between them out into the rain.

A rapid glance passed between Leonardo and Raphael, and the blue-banded turtle nodded firmly.

"When you're right, you're right." Raphael muttered darkly. "Let's catch these fools."

The turtles darted off their ledge and dropped straight toward the earth, using a swinging motion off the bars of the fire-escape to speed the ease of their descent. They leaped directly over the stunned heads of the men below, and landed in between them and the only exit out of the alleyway.

"Lemme guess. You're just giving 'em a safe escort home, right?" Raphael said sarcastically.

"Why don't you make this easy on yourselves?" Leonardo suggested calmly. "Let them go, and it doesn't have to get ugly."

"Too late for that." One of the men snickered. "You're already _here_."

Raphael rolled his eyes. "I think I've already heard enough out of you. Let's see if you can hit as hard as you talk."

A ripple of laughter traveled through the group, as they dumped the girls and made a combined thrust toward the two turtles.

But Leonardo and Raphael weren't simply going to wait on the humans to reach them. They hurled themselves into the pack, posing as an absolutely impenetrable wall for them to get through.

Leonardo caught the first with a strong hook to the chest, and sent him hurtling back into one of his buddies right behind him. Raphael captured two of the approaching men by their shoulders, instantly spinning one of them over his back so that the man crashed into the dumpster behind him. He yanked the second one in closer so he could stare him down eye to eye.

"You wanna talk ugly man? Do you even own a mirror?" The turtle smirked at him, right before flinging him over his shoulder to join his friend who was already unmoving. Raphael couldn't help laughing as he surveyed the laid out figures in the alley, and then cast Leonardo a glance.

"What was that, thirty seconds Leo? Shell, that was really too easy."

Leonardo shook his head at him again. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth Raph. Start tying them up, will you? I'm going to check on those girls."

The blue-banded turtle strode across the alley to where they had fallen, immediately checking for pulses. There wasn't a single mark on either of them, suggesting that they would probably have been drugged. They were obviously of Asian descent, but neither of them possessed actual identification.

"Are they okay Leo?" Raphael called to him.

"It seems like it Raph. We're gonna need to call the cops."

"I'll get right on that in a second Fearless." The red-banded turtle volunteered, from his position hovering over one of the unconscious men on the pavement.

As he was still working on a set of zip-ties, an innocuous looking white van pulled up directly in front of the alley, as though it were intentionally trying to block them in. Raphael stood upright at once, casting another look at Leonardo over his shoulder.

"Hold up back there with them Leo." He called to him. "I'll handle this if I need to."

Raphael adjusted his already soaked coat, yanking the collar up further as a looming figure walked around from the driver's side, and then approached the turtle with swift confidence. His size wasn't the least bit intimidating to Raphael - the red-masked turtle had come across his fair share of brutes in his day.

Raphael stood his ground boldly, not even so much as flinching as the man bore down on him, except to stare him down with a hint of curiosity. The men already laid out around them were nothing unique, just the ordinary run of the mill overconfident idiots that they ran into about a dozen different times a week. The individual coming toward him didn't exactly strike the same vibe with the red-banded turtle.

A powerful fist shot out at the turtle, and Raphael barely evaded the unexpected _speed _behind it. Nearly all of his experience with these over sized monsters had taught him that this kind of guy liked to lead with his bulk, and didn't possess a tremendous amount of skill or agility. But he got over being startled very quickly, and shot back with a thrust of his own.

Raphael couldn't help being further shocked by the way the man flexed out of his reach, and then followed up with a strong round-house kick that landed squarely in the turtle's plastron. The sheer power behind it forced the turtle into the side of the building. With a growl the turtle recovered, and flew at the man a second time. This time he managed to avoid the man's leg, and made a connection of his own with the human's jaw.

The shadowy figure shook off his blow and darted again, his brutish exterior in complete disagreement with the lighting behind his movement. Raphael's foot caught another glancing blow across his face, but rather than dodging, the man spun directly into him and captured him by the knee before he could pull it back again.

The human yanked him off the ground and flung him back into the side of the building again, using every ounce of force that he possessed. The turtle's shell bore the brunt of his rage, but he couldn't keep his head completely out of the way either. Things got a little blurry for an instant, as the blue-banded turtle rushed in to his rescue.

Leonardo had only a fraction of a second to size up his opponent, realizing in that flash that this was not a man relying solely on his physical strength. There was an air of skill and experience behind his frame, which coupled _with_ his strength made him a formidable adversary indeed. Leonardo managed to drive him back a couple of feet with a firm blow to the rib-cage, which even though it moved him, didn't seem to actually hurt the human.

The blue-banded turtle was winding up for another drive, when the man lowered his shoulder and sprang directly at him. Raphael shook his head fiercely to try and clear it, scowling as he leaped to his feet from the prone position.

"Back off Leo, this guy's mine!" He proclaimed angrily, just before his older brother was thrown hard against the metal dumpster adjacent to him.

"I think there's enough of him to go around for _both _of us Raph." Leonardo said with a small groan.

Now that they were together, the figure didn't automatically leap toward them, but fell into a posture that was an all too familiar sight for both turtles. Raphael growled impatiently and flung himself at the man again, ducking and then blocking two blows before the human lashed out at his leg a second time.

Leonardo was right behind his brother, and leaped over him as Raphael stumbled. His jump-kick combination found it's target, and successfully knocked down their opponent for the first time. The human leaped upright, returning to the same threatening posture. As Raphael tensed to dart toward him yet again, Leonardo barely got a hand on his shell first.

"_Together _Raph," He said firmly under his breath. "Front push."

Raphael nodded almost imperceptibly, as he quickly reached to hook his arm with his older brother's. They simultaneously leaped toward the brute, their side by side kick striking the man explosively in the chest. The human cracked his head hard on the pavement when he went down, but both turtles stood by somewhat breathless, ready just in case he wasn't finished. This time however, he wasn't getting right back up.

"What _was _that?" Raphael demanded of no one in particular.

Leonardo leaned over the prone man, turning his chin so that he could get a better look at his face. "He's Asian, like the girls. Raph, this could have been a big mistake. What if he was only trying to help them?"

_"He _made the first move Leo." Raphael shot back.

"It's weird, all of this is." Leonardo said in return, rubbing his eyes to get trailing rain-water out of them. "Let's get him restrained just in case, and get another look at those women."

They combined the zip-ties they had left to use on the man, and then trotted back across the alley to the far wall where Leonardo had left the others.

The two turtles had barely reached the girls again, before the side-door was flung open a second time. Another slender shadow emerged into the alleyway, at once appearing to be a woman. She cast a long hard look at the unconscious forms of the men littering the pavement, and then laid both eyes on the turtles. They remained frozen in the same position they'd been in when she came out, hovering close to the ground.

She muttered something under her breath that they couldn't hear, and then turned her head slightly toward a phone that was pressed to her ear. "They failed - get in here _now_." Her voice resounded like steel across the narrow space, and she hung up the phone without another syllable.

Her arms went to her hips at once as she shook her head at the two turtles. "You should not have interfered." Her own Asian accent was immediately apparent, as she faced the turtles down coolly.

Leonardo and Raphael got to their feet slowly, bodies tensed for action, even as they were completely baffled about what they'd actually walked into.

Outside the alley, they heard the sudden screech of vehicles, which made them stiffen further still. They held their breath as darkness took shape on the other end of the walkway, and several figures crowded into the small space. Leonardo peered at them with a sinking feeling in his chest. Something was telling the turtle that they could be in a little bit over their heads here.


	2. Cut Off

Leonardo and Raphael barely had time to exchange a slightly nervous glance, as they both reached for the girls that were lying at their feet. Then Leonardo's dark eyes were scanning, his mind rapidly calculating. He couldn't tell how many were actually out there, but if they fought anything like the man they'd just taken down, a battle here on the street would probably end up attracting way too much attention. A hasty retreat wasn't a course of action that the turtle relished, but at the moment it was the best thing he could come up with.

It was as if the entire scene were frozen in time, as no one immediately made a move toward them.

"The roof." Leonardo whispered, without hardly moving his lips. Then he cast a split second glance at the dumpster, and hoped Raphael would understand his intentions.

The blue-banded turtle sprang into action, vaulting on top of the trash receptacle. He adjusted accordingly for the extra weight of the woman he was carrying, not pausing for a single second before leaping toward the overhanging ladder. Leonardo firmly planted muscular legs, and drew himself up to the first platform with his free arm. He was relieved to hear Raphael's grunt of exertion from beneath him, but the figures below were reacting quickly as well.

Leonardo heard the soft whistle of a weapon, and one katana was in his hand before he even had time to think about it. It flashed through the air to deflect the throwing knife that was coming at his brother's head, even as Raphael was ramming his leg down on top of the man that was climbing underneath him. His blow knocked the human out cold, and he fell hard against someone trying to push their way up behind him.

Leonardo grabbed a flash cell of of his belt, and armed it with a swift twist of his wrist. The concussion would likely rouse further attention, but he was only concerned with being able to make a clean break of these people. He let it fall over the side of the escape, after shooting Raphael a warning look.

The turtles hefted their precious burdens more tightly as they raced up the stairs of the escape to the roof, and Leonardo rolled up on top on his side alone. Raphael handed the girls up to him first, and then yanked his own way up onto the roof.

"Let's move!" Leonardo urged him, not taking even a moment for either of them to catch their breath.

Each gathered a young woman and then started running, bounding from the roof-top they were on to the next one. Neither turtle said a word to each other, they were completely occupied with the mere effort of escaping. The only sound that accompanied their own feet at first was a mighty rumbling of thunder overhead.

They were three roof-tops away, when the shooting pain of a shuriken striking the back of his calf made Raphael stumble in his stride with a mighty curse, as he struggled to regain his footing.

"Raph, are you alright?" Leonardo spoke up swiftly.

"Fine!" He proclaimed through gritted teeth. "Don't look now Fearless, but I think we've got company!"

"They're not gonna beat us at our own game Raph - we've just got to keep going!"

* * *

Yukiko paced slightly while a few of the men hurried to recover the prone bodies of the "boosters", whose only task had been to blend in with the rest of the crowd inside the club, and to retrieve the new arrivals for them. Daichi should have been more than enough to stabilize the situation on the outside, but it was apparent they were dealing with very unusual assailants.

When her phone went off again, she was swift to answer. "_Taidan_!" She commanded icily, and then hesitated for a beat as information was being relayed. "Continue pursuit, don't let them out of your sight. We'll use vehicles to get ahead of them on the ground first, so let me know if they change directions on you! Don't lose them!"

* * *

Leonardo was fighting to keep anxiety and confusion both in check, not certain which emotion was actually stronger at the moment. He wasn't positive that he and Raphael had done the right thing bringing the young women with them, but little alarm bells seemed to signify that the new strangers' intentions toward the girls were no more friendly than the men they'd dealt with easily.

He sensed the men behind them gaining slightly, their own acrobatics not the least bit hampered by the extra weight or the protection of another life that the turtles had to deal with. Leonardo felt his phone vibrating, but chose to ignore it for the moment. He didn't want to deal with even the second's distraction that answering it would require.

* * *

Donatello shut his phone, a little bewildered by Leonardo's lack of response. He had long ago turned the wheel of the van over to Michelangelo so that he could focus on tracking his brother's signal, which had recently ceased to be stationary.

"How many times have you called him?" His orange-masked brother asked, deciding to pull over to the side of the road as Donatello was logging inside of a different software program in his laptop.

"Just a couple." Donny replied. "He_ said _they might get caught up in something."

The purple-banded turtle had already fielded a worried phone call from Luke a few minutes ago, wanting to know why Leonardo had activated his homing beacon. Donatello had assured him that his brother had only done it at his request, but now gnawing concern was pushing the turtle to check into their vital signs. He was just starting to tap into the signal of their implanted devices, which he'd been forced to completely replace only a month prior. Whatever little trick Stolle had performed on the transmitters had rendered all of the implants useless.

Donatello couldn't help rolling his eyes as the man's name even entered his mind, and immediately pushed further thought of him to the side. Leonardo's intermittent reminder had been going off for several minutes, but a sudden stronger pulse from the watch on his wrist indicated that a _second_ beacon had been activated.

Michelangelo reacted to it faster than he did, instantly tapping a button on the display of his watch. "Why would Raph turn his on Donny? They're still together, aren't they?"

A couple of keystrokes later, Donatello nodded. "They are, and they're still on the move too. Something's off here Mikey. I don't know what it is, but something's definitely _off_."

The purple-banded turtle glanced down the road that they were parked on, seeming to be mulling something over. "Do you think we could take a left up here?"

"You wanna get on the other side of 'em?"

"Something like that. Let's get moving, okay?"

* * *

"I sure hope they don't take me setting that off figuratively!" Raphael exclaimed.

Leonardo didn't even make a response, as they made the leap to the next roof-top.

Both turtles pulled up sharply at the sight waiting them on the other side. The shadowy outlines of several figures were the last thing that either of them had expected to see. As they spun on heel to try and make a jump to the right, the men fanned out across roof so that all hope of an easy jump was immediately cut off.

"I think they just beat us at our own game Leo." Raphael muttered under his breath.

The blue-banded turtle held his stance for a few seconds longer, never taking his eyes off the enemy. "It's not over Raph."

"No, looks like we're just about to get started." He replied sarcastically. "How are we supposed to protect them Leo?" He spoke of the young women, as the circle closed in on both of them.

"We have to win." He answered simply.

"Yeah, sure. Piece of cake." Raphael said as he slowly put his girl down, and Leonardo followed suite.

They backed into each other, each drawing their respective blades. On the outskirts of the group, Yukiko raised her eyebrows at the sight of the one turtle wielding_ two _katana.

"Atakku!" She ordered the waiting men.

Their first order of business was to separate the two turtles, and it was not expected to be an easy feat. In that instant, it was the advancement of five other naked blades that convinced Leonardo to take a step away from Raphael.

"I'm going to take these guys Raph." The turtle informed his younger brother.

"Better know what you're doing!"

"There's still plenty to go around." Leonardo commented, now holding both blades straight out in either direction, to partially ward off attackers who had yet to try and actually cross katanas with him.

That changed an instant later. The blue-banded turtle had to react quickly to both parry and avoid the blades that were coming from several directions, inadvertantly forcing him to put more space between himself and Raphael than he wanted to. There was no time to think or to calculate his opponents, their own speed or skill. He had but fractions of seconds to avoid and strike back, to recoil and then lunge in return. It was an exercise in pure instinct such as he'd rarely engaged in that strongly at any point in the past.

Leonardo couldn't prevent every strike from at least glancing contact, though his reflexes had rescued him from any injury of serious depth. He was aware of the searing pain of a blade tip as it barely grazed his forehead, before he ducked out of further reach of it. Another had managed to nick the bicep of his left arm a little more deeply, right before he'd disarmed the first of his opponents.

Raphael had been facing down a few others, with a more brutal assault of his own weapons than he'd ever unleashed on another person. When he felt the lunge of one of their fists directly into his shell, he couldn't keep from laughing outright.

"Nice try Sparky. Why dontcha go ahead and break your_ other _fist while you're at it?" He called derisively, ramming his elbow into the stunned man's face as further punishment.

Then the turtle was forced to swivel quickly, to avoid the spiked ball of a chigiriki. He reacted by capturing the chain of the weapon in one of the pronged sides of his sai, and jerked fiercely to disarm the assailant. Then he lunged forward with a powerful kick to the next closest one's jaw. He was just starting to feel a little more confident in their ability to take the fight, when the sound of additional soft foot falls on the roof got his attention.

The sight of more of the men coming was just a tad disheartening. _Shell!_

Instant concern seized him for his older brother, and he found himself searching out for some sight of him. He couldn't see the blue-banded turtle from where he was, and had no idea that Leonardo was actually looking for him too.

Leonardo was flat on his shell on the roof, still clinging to both katana in a death grip, though he was being restrained from raising them. A disturbingly close flash of lightning reflected off the blade of another katana, that was hovering dangerously near his throat.


	3. Back Up

Leonardo didn't move a muscle until the tip of the katana needled his throat, forcing his head up where his assailant wanted it to go. In that brief span of seconds their attack seemed nearly forgotten, as they curiously probed the turtle's frame. Several sets of hands were touching his shell, his plastron, his face, making Leonardo feel like he'd just become the number one attraction in a petting zoo.

His blades were still forced flat against the roof-top, though they hadn't managed to separate him from them yet. The men conversed softly with one another, in what sounded very much like snippets of Japanese. The turtle couldn't hear enough of it to actually make out what they were saying, but tried to use the slight lull as an opportunity to size up the mystery combatants as well.

It was too dark to make out actual features from the distance that most of them hovered, but their mannerisms even at "rest" only confirmed Leonardo's further belief in their training, as if he actually needed more proof of it. There was a slight scuffle as a couple of the men parted, and a slender shadow cast over the blue-banded turtle. He turned very carefully, as much as the blade near his throat would safely allow.

The woman who had spoken to them in the alley (and commanded the attack on the roof) was now engaged in a rapid-fire conversation over the phone, nodding emphatically as she tried to make some passionate point to the person on the other end. After about a minute had passed, she stepped forward for a closer look at Leonardo herself, reasserting a cool composure over everyone else present, in an unmistakeably authoritative manner.

"...wasting time." Leonardo understood her to say in Japanese into the mouthpiece. "We can finish it."

With those words she took a step backward, and made a firm slashing motion across her throat.

The blue-banded turtle swallowed sharply. That signal probably meant the same thing in _every_ language. He struggled anew beneath the crushing weight being applied to his arms and chest, and fought to get off a thrust with his legs. He caught one of them sharply in the forehead, but it wasn't enough to secure his own release. He couldn't do anything except watch as another blade descended over him.

Leonardo was so preoccupied with the steel in that instant that the lunge of _another _weapon directly into it's path caught him completely off guard, just like the rain of splintered wood that followed it. The katana cut neatly through the bo staff, and a cry of pain echoed across the roof-top as it connected with the purple-banded turtle's left forearm.

Donatello twisted out of the path of the blade before it could cut any deeper than it already had, a snarl of rage escaping him that was more intense than any sound Leonardo had ever heard out of his younger brother's mouth. A surge of adrenaline and anger was fueling the purple-banded turtle into a true fit of ruthless energy. It was honed first on the single assailant who'd tried to kill Leonardo, destroyed his own weapon, and come a little too close in an attempt to sever his arm, all in the span of about ten seconds.

The purple-banded turtle thrust his fist into the man's chest, throwing every ounce of weight in his body behind the blow. Even before he'd hit the ground, the turtle lunged at the next, hooking him ruthlessly in the jaw. His immediate action was successful in sufficiently distracting enough of the warriors for Leonardo to get his feet under him again.

"Donny!" He shouted to get his brother's attention. "Right hand, _now_!"

Donatello flung his right arm in Leonardo's direction without a backward glance, and the older turtle firmly pressed one of his katana into his brother's grasp. It was far from the turtle's weapon of choice - but that didn't mean he couldn't use it well enough to save his life.

Michelangelo had tried to enter the pack of men surrounding Raphael as if they were no more than a set of bowling pins, somewhat surprised by how strongly they held their ground. He had to fight his way to get to his brother's side, whirling nunchucks a blur as they landed blow after blow to try and clear a path.

Raphael sent a man flying with a tremendous shot to the face, and caught his younger brother's eye for an instant. "Don't hold back _anything_ Mikey!" He commanded the turtle fiercely.

It was an art that they had perfected through years of practice, never using more force than was necessary on an opponent. Most of the street riff-raff didn't require a _quarter_ of the power they were capable of using - but the same didn't hold true for these jokers.

Yukiko was itching so badly to join the fight that she could hardly stand it, but no, she was still stuck on the phone, receiving her orders from someone who wasn't even here. They could overwhelm these strange creatures, she was certain of it - but her own word meant nothing at the moment. With an angry scowl she finally hung up the phone, and called out the names of two men.

When she had their attention, Yukiko barked rapid directions concerning the two young women, ordering them to move ahead with them. Leonardo had been drawn by her voice above the fighting, and immediately realized what was happening.

"Donny, we have to stop them!" The blue-banded turtle called his direction.

The younger turtle was a _little_ occupied with fending off katana, just holding his own against adversaries who knew the weapon so much better than he did. There was no time for him to attack, every ounce of effort was being put into defense.

"What?" Donatello called above the steel in reply to Leonardo, then shooting a swift glance where the turtle had just been.

The blue-banded turtle was no longer there, but now driving his way back toward the men who'd taken the young women. Donatello lashed out his leg at someone else blocking his path, and leaped agilely over the the man so he could get closer to Leonardo's side.

"Kieuseru!" Yukiko's voice cut through the air again, and their assailents turned to flee as one.

As Leonardo and Donatello were springing after them, the woman hurled a small capsule in their direction, which exploded in billows of noxious smoke. It wrapped around the turtles in the blink of an eye, and Leonardo was vaguely aware of the sound of Donny's choking accompanying his own, right before the roof rushed up to meet him.

* * *

"Leo! Open your eyes bro, _c'mon_!"

The blue-banded turtle's dark eyes slid open about half-way, blurry vision hardly even distinguishing the sheeting rain.

"Leo? Do you hear me?" Someone was repetitively patting his face, trying to get some sort of real reaction out of him.

A hard open-handed slap followed up the useless effort, whipping his head a little painfully, but it also did the trick. Leonardo blinked again, and made out Raphael this time.

"_Shell _Raph, what's the matter with you?" Leonardo demanded of him.

"I'm sorry Fearless, I was just trying...I thought..." He stumbled slightly over his words, in a way that the boldest of his brothers rarely did.

"A medic you're not." Leonardo informed him, cracking a half smile in spite of everything, but then tensed once more. "Donny, Mike--"

"They're right here Leo, we're all here. They took those girls and split." Raphael said flatly, trying to control the seething rage that was still brewing underneath.

Leonardo's glance fell on his purple-banded brother, who looked about as disoriented as he must have been. Michelangelo had already created a pressure wrap, and was applying it firmly to Donatello's badly bleeding forearm. The oldest turtle's gaze turned back to Raphael, as he wiped blood from his forehead and discovered the bruise from landing on the roof. "We passed out?"

"Yeah. I don't have a clue what was in that stuff. You and Donny were gone at least five minutes, I couldn't say how much more. Mikey and I got a blast from one of those things too, just not as directly as you took it.

"Are you alright?"

"You mean besides the fact that there's two of you right now?" The turtle replied a little sarcastically, but Leonardo had a feeling that he was being serious. "I can't believe they didn't try to kill us again."

Leonardo couldn't completely fight down a lingering cough from the fumes he'd inhaled, even as he slammed both fists down on the roof-top. "_Dang it_! All that, and they still got away! We couldn't save them."

Raphael's forehead dropped a couple of inches, as the guilt he was feeling inwardly leaped instantly to the surface. Leonardo shook his head a little sadly at him.

"Raph, I'm sorry. We did everything we could. I'm frustrated and angry...but I know there wasn't anything more that you or I could have done."

"You keep telling me that Fearless, and maybe you'll be able to believe it too." Raphael responded, offering an arm to Leonardo as he rose slowly to his feet. "Careful, you're gonna be dizzy." He warned him. "We're still feeling some weird effects off of it too."

Leonardo shut his eyes briefly as the roof swayed under his feet. But when Raphael moved to help him, he didn't miss the painful way the red-banded turtle handled his right leg.

"What is it Raph, how are you hurt?"

"They hit me with a shuriken, do you believe that? These guys were the real deal."

Leonardo fought down a growl at that news, as he glanced down for a closer look at the wrap that was staunching blood from his brother's calf. "What on earth did I get us into?" He wondered aloud rhetorically.

Across from them, Michelangelo has just gotten Donatello to his feet too, and supported him firmly around the shell as they took a couple of steps together.

"Are you hurt Mikey?" Leonardo asked of his youngest brother.

The orange-masked turtle shrugged. He was clearly bleeding from a couple of bad shots to the face, but there wasn't very much other evidence of external injuries. "I'm okay Leo," He finally told him. "Things are just, like not really focused. I can't hardly make out anything more than a couple of feet away from me."

"None of us are driving, that's for sure." Leonardo stated firmly. "I'll get somebody on the phone, see if I can't raise a little bit of help for us. Then we should probably see about getting down from here."


	4. Limping Home

Before attempting their descent, Raphael got Leonardo to let him take a minute to address his own bleeding bicep, and then Raphael lingered another few seconds over the blue-banded turtle's forehead.

"They just grazed me," Leonardo assured him. "It's not as bad as it looks."

Then he cast a remorseful glance in Donatello's direction, who was perched nearby on the edge of the roof, absent-mindedly gripping the wrap on his own arm. "Thanks Donny. I'm sorry about your bo."

The purple-banded turtle gave a small shrug. "It's okay Leo, don't give it a second thought. It's not like that's the_ first _time one of us has had to sacrifice a weapon in the line of duty."

"How's your arm?" Leonardo asked him.

"It'll be fine, I don't think it actually penetrated to the muscle. I should have reacted faster, I wasn't ready for that." Donny replied ruefully.

Leonardo shook his head at him. "You guys couldn't have shown up at a better time. I'm sorry I didn't just answer the phone, my hands were a little bit full."

"We got the message pretty clearly when Raph set off his beacon too." Donatello told him. "We didn't know what was going on--"

"_Still _don't actually." Michelangelo pointed out.

"But we figured it would be better to chase you, just in case. What kind of club _was_ that Leonardo?" The purple-banded turtle had to ask.

Leonardo and Raphael glanced at one another, their own confusion still obvious.

"There was nothing special about it." Leonardo replied. "We were only there because we followed some _different_ suspicious looking characters, who'd gone inside themselves. When they came out, it looked like they were kidnapping a couple of young women."

"And there wasn't anything special about those guys either." Raphael spoke up. "They were the ordinary morons we run into all the time, went down real easy. _That's_ when the hoards of Hell came marching."

"But before we get into that, maybe we could get moving." Leonardo suggested, feeling just a little more sure of his own balance now.

* * *

The four turtles climbed down carefully off of the building, taking much more time to do it than they would have under normal circumstances. Once on the ground, they retreated into the back of the Battle Shell to wait for help to come to them.

Inwardly, Leonardo was still fuming from the encounter, but he maintained the calm controlled exterior that he knew the others needed to see from him right now. They didn't have to wait very long before the pre-arranged signal rapped on the back doors of the van, and Michelangelo reached over to unlock them.

They swung open to reveal two familiar faces, who were both anxious to get inside. Luke's sharp eye took a cursory glance over all four of them, before getting right down to busines. "Where are the keys?" He asked first.

Michelangelo held up a set, and tossed them to a waiting Marcus. As the man disappeared back out into the rain, Luke rapidly tried to determine who was bleeding the most, and settled on Donatello with a slight grimace.

"Why do you always have to be my problem child?" He demanded of the turtle, as he came to kneel by the seat.

"Hey, I didn't _ask_ somebody to take a chunk out of me with his carving knife Doc." Donatello protested.

"Katana." Leonardo corrected him immediately, so that Luke would know what he was actually looking at. "He got struck by a blade, like one of mine."

Luke threw a curious glance over at the blue-banded turtle. "Like one of yours? Who'd you get into it with?"

Leonardo didn't have a chance to respond before Marcus returned to the back of the van, and all of them heard it start up. As he slammed the doors behind him, the second doctor's eyes roved over the other three turtles, coming to rest on Leonardo.

"Check out Raph's leg first, my damage is mostly superficial." Leonardo said quickly.

As Marcus settled down by Raphael, the van pulled away from the curb, where Michelangelo and Donatello had left it to make their own approach on the building.

"Maybe this is a dumb question, but who's driving?" Mike quipped with a small grin.

"April." Marcus responded simply.

"What'd you guys do, bring the whole crew?" Raphael asked, flinching slightly as Marcus carefully handled his calf.

"April and I were already in Chelsea when Leo called Luke." The man answered. "You know we have no life outside of work and each other. Those of us who actually work that is." He finished with a slight dig toward Luke.

"Yes, because I never have enough to do around here as it is." Luke said dryly, not even bothering to look up from Donatello's arm.

Marcus cocked his head curiously as he got a closer look at the precise blade markings of Raphael's main injury. "I've never seen a wound track like this Raph. What'd they do to you?"

"Hit me with a shuriken while Leo and I were running." The red-banded turtle grumbled in return.

"With a what?" He asked cluelessly.

"A ninja star." Leonardo clarified for him. "They have multiple bladed points, mostly just used for throwing. I can show you one when we get home."

"Katana, shuriken?" Luke repeated. "Who the heck _were_ these guys Leo?"

The blue-banded turtle let out a short breath. "We don't know Doc, we don't understand any of it. The only thing that I can say with absolute certainty is that they were trained ninja. They knew what they were doing, not just with the weaponry, but their bodies too. It was intense. Being surrounded by that many blades at once...I'm surprised I wasn't hurt worse. Almost as surprised as I am by the fact that they essentially _let _us go."

"You mean they decided they'd had enough?" Marcus asked from his position by Raphael.

"No, they just up and flew the coop." Michelangelo piped up. "We weren't even finished, when they decided to make a run for it."

"You must have been wearing on them." Luke suggested with a grin.

"No, I don't think so." Leonardo said honestly. "They'd basically overpowered us completely before Donny and Mike got there, and we were pretty much only holding our own after that, not truly kicking their tails. I guess someone thought that it was more important to get the girls out of there."

"The who?" Luke was bewildered by the last statement.

"Oh yeah, it gets better." Raphael volunteered. "We didn't just about lose ourselves, we lost somebody else too."

"Two young women," Leonardo said softly. "They were the reason Raph and I got involved to start with. We had them, if we just could have escaped..." The blue-banded turtle trailed off, and didn't say anything else for the moment.

"Did you get a good look at them?" Marcus asked when he didn't go on.

"They were Asian...maybe around early twenties, wouldn't you say Raph? They were also drugged heavily." Leonardo replied, and Raphael nodded in agreement.

"It's hard to be sure of age, they were pretty small anyway." Raphael added.

"Do you think you could help Katherine create a mock-up?" Luke asked the two turtles.

"I thought your wife was taking a break from the Bureau." Raphael answered him.

"Well I'd refer you to someone else to do the sketches, but somehow I don't think that would work out too well." Luke pointed out. "At least that way we'd have something to turn over to the authorities, see if they match any descriptions of missing persons in the system."

"You think they could already be in there?" Leonardo said hopefully.

"Something could turn up, even if they _aren't _in there yet. It's worth trying."

* * *

About two hours later at home, Luke was taking yet another hard look at Michelangelo's pupils in the living area.

"What's the verdict Doc, will I live?" The orange-masked turtle said cheekily as the doctor finally withdrew his penlight.

"There's still some cloudiness from the chemical Mike, but it's dissipated from when I first checked it. My guess is that it will finish clearing up on its' own, but I want to keep an eye on it. Speak up if you start having any worse vision issues, or if you're feeling dizzy again."

"This has you a little freaked out, doesn't it?" Michelangelo asked him.

Luke gave him a pointed glance. "All of you were exposed to some kind of unknown component tonight. Given past experience, I don't want to take any chances."

"Leo and Donny are gonna be okay, aren't they?"

"They're not having any trouble breathing, I only wanted to keep them close by because of how inflamed their throats look." Luke replied. "I feel better keeping them in the Lab overnight, just in case."

Jenna ducked out of the kitchen a moment later with a refill cup of coffee for the good doctor. She flashed Michelangelo a reassuring smile, and offered the turtle a cold bottled water.

"I'm gonna check in with the guys again, make sure they don't need anything else." She told Luke.

"Don't let that husband of yours' talk you into any caffeine Jen. He's supposed to be going to sleep."

"This is_ me _you're talking to Luke, not Marc. He's the only one who folds that easily to them." Jenna answered, and turned in the direction of the Lab.

Luke caught a grimace of pain from Michelangelo out of the corner of his eye. "What's going on in there Mikey? I can't read your mind, you have to tell me where it hurts."

The turtle shook his head at him. "It's nothing that about ten hours of sleep won't cure, and that's exactly what I intend to get."

"I'm probably going to have to bug you a few times Mike." Luke said apologetically.

The turtle rubbed blue eyes that were still slightly stinging. "As long as you don't expect anything more than a grunt on my part, knock yourself out."

* * *

Raphael was propped up partially on his side in his room upstairs, and let out a soft hiss as a woman applied a new ice pack to his leg. Besides the obvious damage from the shuriken, his right leg was also badly bruised from his earlier encounter with the first over-sized enemy of the night.

"I can't believe that you were running and leaping all over creation on that." Karina told him with a shake of her head.

"Sure Kari, like you haven't done worse? Katherine told me about the time you forced your way through opening night in high school, dancing for over two hours on a fractured ankle."

"The lead doesn't come along every day." The woman told him lightly, coming to rest on her knees by the side of the bed. "You're going to take it easy, aren't you?"

"It's just bruised Karina, don't get all protective on me, okay? I've already got a mother downstairs. I prefer to look at you from another angle."

Karina tried not to chuckle at his reference to Luke, and cocked her head playfully to one side. "What angle would that be Raph?"

"C'mere, and I'll show you." He said with a half smile.

The woman didn't actually need an invitation, but it was always nice to get one. She leaned in closer to the mattress, and kissed the turtle in a deliberately lingering fashion. He started to rise so that he could reach her better, and she abruptly broke off from him.

"No, I'm not helping any matters here." She said swiftly. "You're supposed to be resting."

"What am I, running a marathon? What's it look like I'm doing?"

Karina waved a finger at him, as she brushed bronze hair out of her face. "Doc told me not to keep you up."

"Oh, that's right. He's _your_ mother too."

She rolled green eyes at him, and then came directly in to kiss him one more time. "I really should let you get some sleep."

"Yeah, I guess." The red-banded turtle said, capturing her attention by how easily he gave up.

She fell back into a kneeling position by the bed, and latched onto his amber gaze. "What is it Raph?"

He didn't respond to her right away, and she laid a soft hand on his shoulder. "It wouldn't go over well for me to have to beat it out of you. Just tell me what's wrong."

Raphael looked away from her, focusing hard on the ceiling. "I keep thinking about those girls." He mumbled. "Wondering if they're dead or alive, if they're hurt...And what in the world someone could possibly want with them. We _had_ them. We had them Kari, and we let 'em get taken."

"Raphael, you guys didn't _let_ anyone do anything. You fought like mad for them."

"I could have done more."

The woman took a hold of his chin to force him to look at her. "You can't carry this weight around Raph. You know you did everything you could."

"It wasn't enough."


	5. Property

Yukiko cut her way down the adjoining hall that connected two buildings, her proud head held high and erect, as if to challenge a single man that dared to look at her the wrong way. She was absolutely livid, and most everyone knew that it was appropriate to avoid her in this frame of mind.

"Takashi-sama." She proclaimed her first word since entering the complex, upon coming into the quarters of the man who had called an abrupt end to the attack only hours before.

The man opened his eyes almost lazily to glance up at her, a smile curling on his lips at the sight of the soaked enraged woman. "Yukiko-san. How nice of you to find your way back." He stated calmly, rising with a stretch from his cross-legged position on the floor. "Is everyone accounted for?" He asked a little more sharply.

The woman forced a minute bow of her head before responding. "All are present, including the new _sureibu_."

"That is good news at least - but what can you tell me of this evening's events? What action warranted such a public display, that could have garnered much unwanted attention?" When Takashi spoke, it was with deliberate control of his own tone and inflection. He naturally retained an accent akin to the rest of his people, but he was perfectly capable of making it appear almost non-existent as well when it suited him.

"Would you rather that we had allowed the merchandise to be stolen right out from underneath us?" Yukiko fumed in return.

"I would _rather _that our people and our ways remain invisible, so that we may continue the work that has progressed so smoothly thus far. We are not at home Yukiko, and we cannot treat these streets as if we own them! Secrecy, invisibility, these are the greatest allies to success here. How did the slaves even come to be threatened in the first place?"

The woman shook her head in exasperation. "I don't know Takashi-sama. Someone was waiting for the boosters when they tried to leave the club. Either they were tipped off, or the men were followed to begin with. The fools could no more stand their ground than mere infants. Daichi stepped in to stop the thieves, but he was...overcome."

Takashi's eyes widened at that. "How was that accomplished? How many were they?"

Yukiko bit her lip slightly as she responded. "When I exited the building, there were only the two."

"Two." The man repeated incredulously. "Two thieves took down Daichi? Did they shoot him?"

"No, they did not possess that type of weapon. These thieves, they were not..." She hesitated for a moment, as if uncertain about where to begin. "They were different Takashi-sama. They were very skilled fighters."

"That does not explain the spectacle you chose to put on. How did they even escape from you in the alley?"

"They were quick, and very familiar with the environment." She answered stiffly. "Even carrying the sureibu, they outran the pursuers on the roof-tops, which was why we had to move so fast on the ground to cut them off."

"And once you were ahead of them, why did it take you so long to get them under control? You significantly outnumbered them by your own admission. Your instructions were simple. Retrieve the merchandise, and return. As it is, someone may have seen you! We cannot afford this kind of attention Yukiko!" The man's voice lost it's even keel for an instant.

"It was_ not _that simple! They fought like one of our own, only stronger yet. They carried the weapons of ninja." She said flatly, pausing for dramatic effect. "One of them held several of our best at bay for a time, armed with two katana at once. It took tremendous effort to even contain the two, and that was before the others arrived!"

"Out of nowhere as well I imagine." Takashi said sarcastically. "I have never been more unsure of your own ability than I am this very night Yukiko-san. How could you have let so many things slip past you?"

"I'm telling you, these were no ordinary men! In fact, they were no men at all!" The woman finally said plainly.

Takashi stared at her unspeaking for a moment. "What are you talking about?"

"From a distance, they seemed very much like a human, obviously intelligent, quick thinking, agile. But they weren't...We got our hands on them, we came into close contact. They are like no living thing I have ever seen. They appear very much like an animal, but they were definitely rational beings. I can't explain what they are, or where they came from. But we _could_ have overcome them, if you'd but granted us the opportunity!"

"Do you know that for a fact?" Takashi said snidely. "You said they had difficulty overwhelming the two, let alone the others that came. I couldn't risk the sureibu, or allow you to continue to run the gauntlet of being discovered out there."

"You don't understand Takashi-sama. These things are dangerous! No one can say how they found us tonight, and they nearly escaped altogether. Who knows how much information they have? What's to stop them from interfering again? You should have let us finish it! As it is, a skillful threat still lives and breathes out there as we speak!"

Takashi stared at her placidly for another long moment. "I wish to talk with the other men concerning these creatures. Right now, while the encounter is still fresh in their minds."

"Those that were not injured badly remain nearby." Yukiko said evenly. "We retained the boosters as well, and had hoped to gain some insight since it started with them."

"That, at least, was an intelligent move on your part. Let us continue this talk along with the others."

* * *

Takashi listened to the accounts of his warriors, and observed the beginnings of a drawing that was in process of being created of their likeness, from the memory of several of them. The five American males who worked under the unassuming title as "boosters" seemed incredibly out of place in the midst of the others, obviously uncomfortable in the company they were keeping.

Takashi turned a keen eye on the men, addressing them only after he'd talked extensively with his own. "Your telling of their coming is of great interest to me." He said slowly. "You have no recollection of seeing them before you entered the club tonight?"

All five heads shook rapidly in unison.

"We had no idea anyone was waiting for us, we were only trying to stick to the plan." One of them said with a swallow.

"Before you were interrupted, yes." Takashi said slightly patronizingly. "Tell me now, if you can, anything that you remember in particular about these assailants."

The men looked at each other, every one of them seemingly waiting for another to speak first. It was clear to Takashi from their very expressions that they knew something that needed to be told. The Asian man drew closer to them, holding out a hand plaintively.

"Gentlemen, we are trying to get to the bottom of the identity of these attackers, who they are, where they came from. If you have information about them, the time to speak is _now_."

One of them forced down a shudder, and made eye contact with Takashi. "There are stories..." He faltered for a few seconds. "Tales that have been passed around the streets of New York for the better part of a decade. I don't think most people actually believe them, I know that I didn't. But after what I seen tonight..."

"What stories?" Takashi said sharply.

The men exchanged another glance.

"They're about these _things_...Well, people call 'em Phantoms. They're said to be incredible fighters, they say they're invincible. They're supposed to have special powers. People say they can fly, and vanish straight out into thin air. They're known for interfering in criminal activity."

Yukiko shook her head at the man. "The things that we fought tonight were not invincible. We drew injuries on them - they are flesh and blood, the same as the rest of us."

"To a petty criminal, beasts of this nature most likely _would _be invincible." Takaski commented. "Does your legend include how many actually exist?"

"Nobody knows for sure." Another responded. "Some people have said that there's only a couple, all the way up to a dozen, and more. There's lots of guys in lock-up even right now, who could tell you more about them."

* * *

Shirou separated himself from the discussion, after it seemed that Takashi was finished with the part that required his presence. He had taken the time already to clean his katana when he first arrived home, and to attend to the minor injuries that had been inflicted in return by their strange opponents. To be perfectly honest, he'd enjoyed the evening immensely. All the sneaking around got very old to him, and the opportunity to have a chance for action was a rare treat these days.

Only one other thing would complete this night, and she would be waiting exactly where he'd left her inside his own quarters. He drew open the door that was locked from the outside, and flipped on the overhead light. A rail-thin blond woman was lying motionless on the mattress that sat directly on the floor, and didn't seem to notice the fact that he'd entered the room.

He nudged the woman a little forcefully to turn her over, then lightly caressing her pale cheek. Dark brown eyes fluttered open to look at him, absolute weariness and despair reading through them. The rest of her face was dull, almost completely lifeless.

"Good evening Haruko." He whispered into her ear, as he withdrew a plastic wrapped needle from his side.

Shirou held it up in front of her eyes, and expression entered her face instantly again.

"Ah, yes _sureibu_ - you want this, don't you? I'm sorry I had to keep you waiting. I got tied up tonight, but now we can pick up right where we left off."


	6. Easier

A light prodding on his side woke Leonardo up around dawn.

"Hm? Yeah Doc?" He responded a little sleepily.

"Sorry Leo. I need another listen to your lungs, and I didn't want to startle you." Luke told him, as Leonardo stretched out to his full length for a moment.

"It's not safe to startle a ninja." The turtle said with a small smile, as the man helped sit up the back of the bed.

"So I've been told." Luke said wryly, as he pressed a stethoscope to the blue-banded turtle's chest. "Now breathe deep for me...and exhale. One more time...Okay. It sounds pretty clear. Let me get another look inside, and I ought be able to leave you alone for a few more hours."

The doctor gave nothing away by his reaction to observing the turtle's throat again, but Leonardo assumed that was probably a good thing.

"You're still swollen, but it's reduced somewhat from last night. How are you feeling otherwise?"

"Alright, mostly. Head is still throbbing, and everything else is just sore."

"Well, I'm not going to try and hold you down or anything. You're free to get up whenever you feel like you've had enough sleep, but lay off the training, at least for today."

The blue-banded turtle nodded meekly. "How are the others?"

"I was going to move onto Donny after I was finished with you. Raph and Mike are doing fine, and most of their vision issues as they related to that chemical reaction have dissipated. Raph needs to take it a little easy on his leg, but no lasting damage there either, nothing broken or strained that is."

Leonardo let out a shaky breath, as he clenched his forehead for a moment. "We missed something Doc. We missed something _huge_. I can't help wondering how long this group has been in the city, or what their objective actually is."

"You can't be everywhere Leo." Luke reminded him. "And we've had a few distractions of our own to deal with over the last year."

"_Distractions_? Is that seriously what you want to call all that?"

"It's the only word that comes to mind which is honestly repeatable." Luke told him.

"On the other hand...you do have Kat all to yourself now." Leonardo said a little slyly. "How's everything going in that department?"

"Do you ever think we're a little too open about things?" The man chuckled. "We're still working on it...hoping for good news soon."

"We're crossing our fingers for you Doc."

"I appreciate the sentiment. Now can we talk about something other than our attempt to procreate?"

"Sure Doc," Leonardo laughed softly. "When does Greg get back?"

"Not for a couple more days probably." Luke answered. "He knew the Bureau was going to have a hard time letting him escape from the field, it's part of the reason he put off going back as long as he could. But he's supposed to be starting his new position when he returns to New York."

"It's gotta be weird for him to be out there without Kat." Leonardo commented.

It had been a change of pace for _both_ Katherine and Greg when they'd stepped down from their partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. But Katherine was ready to put more of a focus on life outside of work, and Greg had another role that he could fill inside of the Bureau, that would be more closely related to Intelligence instead of physically chasing down the bad guys.

"He's been different the last couple of months." Leonardo continued. "In a good way, I mean."

Luke nodded thoughtfully at the turtle. "I think he's finally got some perspective he never had before. Almost dying can do that to a person."

The man patted his shoulder fondly. "Get some more rest, okay? I'm going to go get a quick look at Donny, and then I'll catch both of you later."

* * *

"...Jen, you really don't need to change your plans on my account." Donatello told the raven-haired woman about five hours later. "I'm fine, Doc completely released us." He tried to assure her.

Her light blue eyes had been peering at him intensely, but were now softening. "I'm sorry. I have a very long history of worrying about you."

"You can multi-task, can't you?" He grinned. "So there's nothing left to stop you from going top-side."

The young woman seemed to consider it for a moment longer, and then nodded. "Alright Donny. I'll just be meeting my Mom and Tim anyway, She said something about a late lunch, so I probably wouldn't even have to be that long."

"Take all the time you _want_ Jenna."

"Why are you trying so hard to get rid of me today?" She asked only half-seriously.

"I'm not, I just think it would be nice for you to spend some more time on the surface is all. Your Mom's gonna start thinking that I'm holding you captive down here."

She rolled her eyes at him. "_Please _- all four of you could nearly walk on water as far as she's concerned." She informed him. "But then again, I could ask Tim if he's heard anything across the wire from the NYPD about this group you ran into last night too."

"It couldn't hurt." The purple-banded turtle replied. "He and your Mom are getting somewhere now, aren't they? How many times have they been out?"

"Today would make the sixth. Tim's been real sweet about it, he's so afraid of offending me somehow." The young woman chuckled to herself. "It's funny how he can go from being so confident in the face of almost certain death, to fumbling all over himself when he wants to date my mother."

"Be nice to him Jen." Donatello admonished her playfully. "You know how hard it can be for a guy to make that move."

"That's why I couldn't wait on _you_." She said coyly, as she stretched over the back of the couch to reach the turtle.

Donatello kissed the woman, and paused for a few seconds longer to trace a finger over her cheek-bone. "I suppose impatience has some virtue of its' own." He said tongue in cheek. "But that doesn't mean you ought make_ them _wait. It's going to take long enough to get into a restaurant this time of day as it is."

"Would you be an expert on that matter?" She teased him.

"Can't say that I am. But really..."

"Alright, I'm going. What are you going to do with yourself in the meantime?"

"I was thinking about starting some analysis on the blood samples that the docs took last night, try to figure out what kind of chemical base those people used on us." He replied, pointing to his laptop on the coffee table.

"Don't work too hard." She said sternly, and stole another kiss from him before heading out the door.

Donatello let out short sigh the instant she was gone, and reached over to close the laptop's screen. Working was the furthest thing from his mind right now. The purple-banded turtle got to his feet, and made a bee-line for their room down the hallway. He'd been waiting for an opportunity to get alone for hours, and this was the first chance he'd actually had.

It was hard to pretend with Jenna; the woman could read him better than anyone, save probably his younger brother. It had taken a certain amount of concentration to force himself to act completely normal, as if nothing were bothering him. Now in the sanctuary of their room, he was finally allowed to relax into the unhappiness that had threatened to consume him since the night before.

But he'd only been on his own for about ten minutes, when there was a light knock at the door. Donatello sighed again, and quickly fought to get a grip on rising emotion. "Yeah?" He called out evenly.

His orange-masked brother poked his head inside the room a moment later. "Hey, I know you haven't eaten anything. Karina was going to get started on something for us, so I figured I'd come see what you were in the mood for."

"I don't have much imagination at the moment Mikey. If you've got any thoughts of your own, just tell her to go with it. Otherwise, don't worry about me." Donatello said dismissively, but his younger brother wasn't budging.

"Donny, what's the matter?" He asked from the doorway.

"Don't pay attention to me right now, okay? I'm just being stupid."

"You and that word don't go together Don." Michelangelo said slowly, and came to join him on the edge of the bed. "What's eating you?"

"It's dumb, take my word for it Mike. It was my own fault anyway."

The orange-masked turtle was feeling a little exasperated, but tried hard not to let it show. "Donny, what is it?" He asked for the third time.

The purple-banded turtle hesitated another second, without making eye contact with him. "I lost the _wrong _bo." He finally answered softly.

"The wrong one? Was there a right one to throw out?" Michelangelo was only trying to get him to smile, but it didn't work.

"No Mikey...I shouldn't have even been carrying that one, I hardly ever do."

"Which one are you..." His brother didn't finish the question, as he realized what Donatello was telling him. "You lost the one that Sensei finished with you." Michelangelo filled in, as his brother dissolved somewhat beside him.

For years the purple-banded turtle had used a number of bo staffs, but always retained a particular version that had been his Sensei's last _joint _effort with him, in teaching him to craft the weapon on his own.

Donatello fiercely wiped away tears that he was frustrated with himself for crying. Michelangelo reached an arm toward him, but he avoided it at first.

"I'm sorry Donny." He told him morosely, making a second move toward him, even though his brother had refused the first.

"_Don't_." He said without looking up. "Don't try to make this sound okay. People are up there missing, and I'm upset over a_ thing_."

Michelangelo took his still unwilling brother firmly by the shoulders. "You're not upset about a thing Donny - and you have nothing to feel guilty about."

The turtle shook slightly in his grasp, as he wasn't entirely able to reign it in anymore. "I'm such an _idiot_. I never should have brought it out with me. But whenever I did, it was like...like I got to carry a piece of him around with me. And now I've lost it."

His younger brother suddenly gripped him more strongly. "I know it sounds corny bro, but he's still in _here_." Michelangelo finished, lightly patting his brother's chest.

Donatello nodded, his chocolate brown eyes clenched tightly shut. "I keep waiting for this to get easier. It's not going to, is it?"

When he finally glanced up at Michelangelo, there were tears shining in his blue eyes too. "I don't know Donny. But either way, we're all still in this together. Don't go through this junk alone."

"Mike...don't tell Leo, okay?" He wavered a little. "I'd sacrifice that thing a million times over to protect him...but I don't want him to feel guilty about it."


	7. Remembering

Raphael stared hard at the sketch that Katherine was in the process of drawing, as he tried to recreate the vision of one of the victims in his mind. He sighed after a few moments of searching, and shook his head at the woman. "I don't know." He finally said. "It was dark, and everything was happening so fast. I don't feel like I got a great look at her, I was more concerned just with keeping my feet under us. I don't think my memory's been the same since the accident anyway."

"Raph, that's a cop-out. Your unconscious mind took in details about her, that you're not even fully aware of right this second. I want you to try something for me. Close your eyes." The woman directed him gently.

The turtle dutifully obeyed Katherine, even though he didn't believe that it was going to help him.

"Now keep them closed." She instructed him. "And I want you to take me back to last night. Don't try to imagine what she looked like. Put yourself into the same environment, down to every last detail that you can remember about it."

Katherine waited a few moments, to give him enough time to actually get started. "Do you see it?" She asked.

"Mmhm." He responded with a nod.

"Good. Now don't voice it out loud to me, but go back over everything that happened with you and Leonardo, anything that easily comes to mind. I don't want you to try _straining_ after it. When you get to the point where you saw her for the first time up close, let me know."

"Okay." He agreed simply, as he brought the alley back up in his mind's eye.

He mentally retraced their steps, including taking on the initial thugs, followed by the monster of a man who'd posed an actual challenge. As he repeated the jaunt he'd taken to join Leonardo over beside them, he spoke up for Kat. "I'm there."

"Imagine that you're taking a snap-shot, and then open your eyes for me." Katherine replied.

The turtle even pictured the flash in his own mind, and then glanced back up at Kat. The woman was holding the sketch she'd rendered so far, and smiled at him encouragingly.

"Let's try this again. How does this compare to what you just saw?" She asked him.

His face screwed up a little as he studied the sketch, and closed his eyes a second time. "Something's not right with the eyes. They were...a bit wider set. And her nose was just a little turned up, not severely...but enough to notice."

"Do you see any other distinguishing characteristics about her? Anything that would set her aside from someone else?"

"She had these...I guess they were colored highlights, but it could have just been the temporary junk chicks like to play around with. And there was a scar...Yeah. She had a scar on her right hand, a couple of inches long. It reminded me of a burn, but something that happened a long time ago."

While Raphael talked, Katherine started to make some small corrections on the page, leaning further over the paper on the desk as the turtle finally turned back to her again.

"I really don't think I remember anything else about her." The red-banded turtle said.

Katherine held up the portrayal a third time. "Is that her Raph?"

He stared at it for a few seconds longer, and then nodded. "It's close. It feels really close anyway."

"Good job." She told him. "I can turn this over to Greg when he gets in, and he'll start the process of searching through databases for them."

"Do you think..." The turtle didn't finish the statement, hesitating as if he felt like he would trying to tell the woman how to do the job she'd done for years already.

"What Raph? Go ahead."

"They looked kinda like tourists Kat, that or transplants at least. What if they're not American bred at all? Are you still sure you could find some sign of 'em?"

"It would just require him to broaden the search range." Katherine replied. "But the FBI does have access to foreign databases, in addition to their own. If they've recently come into the country, there should be an easy record of their visas, if nothing else. Having the description of them really ought help narrow it down. You did good Raph."

* * *

Jenna couldn't keep from beaming at the sight of her mother Victoria with the Captain Timothy Long. For years her mother had been alone, and never made a complaint about it. But as much as Jenna treasured the memories of her adoptive father, what she really wanted was to see Victoria complete again, and she knew that Michael would have wanted it too.

Sometimes Jenna still felt the need to pinch herself, as a reminder that her former life in Australia hadn't been some distant dream. Everything had changed so much from the first dramatic day in Central Park when she was seventeen, in the hands of terrorists who had a point to prove that the American Ambassadors to their country were not welcome. It seemed to the woman that their method had been a little extreme, but it had turned out of to be one of the two events in her life that she was most grateful for.

The other had been the summer that she met Victoria inside of the music program in Sydney, which had started the ball rolling on a transformation that would be years in the making, as far as the then fourteen year old was concerned.

All these thoughts crossed through the young woman's head as she stood in the hallway of Tim's apartment, silently studying what few family photos he possessed. Of most prominence was a blond girl, pictured from the time she was a toddler, up until she'd been a late teenager. She paused the longest over a photo that featured her alone, which made Jenna feel as if the brown-eyed woman were staring directly back at her.

"Your Mom was asking about you." Timothy spoke up from behind her, making the young woman jump. "She thought you might have gotten lost." He finished sardonically.

"No, sorry, I was just...looking." Jenna replied, a little embarrassed.

"You don't have to be sorry." Tim told her.

"It's Calley, isn't it?" Jenna asked. "All of these are of her."

"Yup, she was my...she's my little girl, or at least she used to be, a long time ago." Tim said wistfully. "I find myself still standing here for a few minutes at a time on occasion too."

Jenna held her breath for an instant, wondering if this were even appropriate to be asking him about.

"She looks like her Mother." Tim added, without her saying anything else. "Seems to take after her too, seeing how she left shortly after my wife did."

The man's shoulders slumped for an instant, as if some memory were hitting him at that exact moment. "I can't tell you how many times I ask myself, what I could have done differently. Whether she'd still be here, if I'd been a better father." He continued quietly.

"Tim, you're the only one in present company who actually knows what kind of father you were. But was it honestly that bad living with you? I find it hard to imagine."

"I don't know Jenna. As a parent, you often find yourself looking back, wishing you'd done some things differently. I think that stands true, even if your teenage daughter _doesn't_ run away."

Tim paused for a second to trace one of the frames, wiping away a thin layer of dust. "Seven years." He stated plainly. "That's almost a third of her life that's gone, and I still can't tell you whether she'd dead or alive. I don't know how I got here."

Jenna stared silently at the man she'd only known for a few months, who'd been so instrumental in helping to rescue the turtles out of their latest predicament, that was still so fresh in everyone's mind from two months ago. Her heart ached to encourage him, but she wasn't even sure she knew how to.

* * *

April and Marcus returned to the Den later that day after getting off work, and were met by the sight of Katherine and Karina, settled side by side on the couch. With the exception of their eye color, the women were such similar foils to each other that you would have had to be blind to miss the family resemblance.

Leonardo and Raphael were sitting across from them, the serious expression on their faces making Marc and April wonder what they'd just interrupted in progress.

"We can come back later." Marc offered wryly, as Leonardo waved them further inside the door.

"Don't be silly, none of this is private. We were just talking about the missing link again." The blue-banded brother told them.

"The missing link?" April repeated. "Oh, you mean Brandon, don't you?"

Katherine and Karina's middle brother still resided where the three of them had grown up, in Sacramento, California. While both women were firm transplants to New York City, they were coming to the end of their ability to continue hiding most of their lives from their brother, who was officially on his own on the West Coast.

It had become a point of serious guilt for them, particularly when Katherine had recently fallen into so much trouble with Stolle. Not so much as a word had been mentioned to Brandon concerning her kidnapping, an issue that both women were having trouble reconciling. With their Mother dead, and their Father off being the spawn of the devil, the three siblings were the only real family that each other had left.

"When is he coming?" Marcus asked.

"Soon." Katherine responded faintly, casting a meaningful look at Karina. "There's really no turning back from this now, is there? Unless you guys forbid us from telling him." She finished, with a glance at the two turtles across from her.

Raphael shook his head. "We can't expect you to hide your whole lives on our account. He's your _brother_." He tried to reassure them, despite the fact that the idea made him so uncomfortable that he could hardly breathe. He couldn't begin to imagine what Brandon's reaction would be to them, or the part that his younger sister was involved with a mutant turtle.


	8. Growing Up

Leonardo wasn't known for wasting a lot of words, but he'd still been quieter than normal throughout the course of the day. He'd spent a lot of that time carefully observing his brothers, as he sensed what seemed to be a muffled effect hovering over the entire Den. The blue-banded turtle recognized that part of it was simply the shock of what they'd faced down the night before. The fact that they could have easily been hurt much worse or even killed was weighing heavily on his own mind, along with the questions that hammered him one after another.

_Everyone_ seemed muted today, even Michelangelo wasn't completely himself. He'd been definitely trying harder than anyone else, but it just felt too forced. Raphael had been putting on a good face around Karina, a practice that the woman alone had the strongest power to bring out of him. The red-banded turtle had never spent very much time attempting to regulate his own moods in the past, but Karina had a profound effect on that part of his life. Leonardo knew that he was extremely nervous about the situation with Brandon coming in, even as much as his brother assured the women that it was the right thing to do.

Donatello had stayed out of the way for the most part. He'd been holed up in his room for awhile, only to retreat to the Lab after that. Jenna had ended up spending most of the day on the surface for a change, between taking further time with her mother and Tim, as well as running some errands she'd been putting off. Leonardo found himself wishing she would come back. It seemed like something could be bothering his younger brother, and she was one of the most gifted at getting it out of him.

He'd been into the Lab to see Donatello earlier, but the turtle had acted like he was consumed in his research, and not been extremely talkative. To be truthful, the purple-banded turtle still perplexed Leonardo sometimes. He wasn't always able to tell the difference between when his brother was simply busy, or otherwise just trying to avoid everyone.

When Marc and April had settled into the living area with the others, Leonardo excused himself to the Lab to check on Donatello again. The purple-banded turtle was resting his elbow carefully on his desk, avoiding lowering his injured forearm while he was taking furious notes.

"We were lucky." Donatello mused aloud to Luke, who was sitting adjacent to him. "If that smoke hadn't been diluted by the rain, this could have ended very differently for us."

"Do you know what it was then?" Leonardo spoke up from behind the two.

"It's definitely synthetic Leo, and that's generally terrible news as far as we're concerned. The parts per million were reduced enough that the effects were much less pervasive than they could have been. I've been isolating the various components that comprise the chemical make-up, trying to find out if it's possible for me to recreate it here."

Leonardo was baffled by that statement. "Why would you want to recreate it Donny? You said we got off easy, but isn't it still dangerous?"

"That's why I want to get to work on it Fearless. I don't think any of us believe this is finished with those people. Chances are that we could come in contact with that chemical again, and the results could be a lot worse. The more we can learn about it, the better equipped we'll be to deal with it."

Leonardo nodded slowly. "That actually makes sense...I guess. I know I don't have to tell you to be careful..."

"We are Leo." Donatello said tolerantly, shooting him a smile over his shoulder. "Do you think Doc's gonna let me do anything that would make more work for him?"

Leonardo had to laugh at that, as Luke got up from the other desk.

"And on that note...I've been staring at this screen too long Donny." Luke told him. "I'm going to go remind my wife that I'm still among the living."

The blue-banded turtle dropped into his desk chair as Luke left, and spun around to face Donatello non-chalantly. "So. Are you really this swamped, or are you just avoiding everyone?"

Donatello thought about it for a moment. "I think it's a combination of both. You have to admit that it's been a weird 24 hours."

"Then something _is_ bothering you."

Donatello made eye contact with him briefly. "It's unrelated Leo, and I'd rather not get into it if it's all the same to you."

"As long as you're okay, that's all that matters to me. You're giving these guys a lot of thought, aren't you?"

"It's hard not to."

"You didn't look bad with that katana." Leonardo said with an impish smile.

Donatello snorted at that. "Yeah, whatever. I didn't get my head cut off you mean. It's a safe bet I'd need a ton more practice to be able to stand against those guys for any length of time on my own."

"Anytime you want to work, let me know."

Donatello shook his head at him. "I don't want to even think about another blade right this second Leo. But I'll keep your offer in mind."

"It wouldn't hurt us to do a little more trade-off - you teach me, and I teach you." Leonardo continued.

"Soon, whenever Doc clears me that is. Stitches are gonna be an issue for a week at least."

* * *

Leonardo couldn't shake the unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach, no matter how strong a front he put up for the others. It was important for them to see him as confident as ever, to be able to trust that he was holding everything together. It was his curse, the burden he'd shouldered for most of his life, keeping a cool exterior no matter the situation. He knew that they relied on it, even if his brothers never spoke it out loud. They wouldn't willingly put that kind of expectation on him, and they didn't have to. He upheld it on his own.

Raphael saw the far away look in his older brother's eyes while they were eating dinner, and knew that his brother's mind was a seething mass of questions and strategies underneath the calm epi-center he was portraying. He didn't say anything about it, but found himself consistently drawn back to him over the course of the twenty minutes that they were sitting there.

It was almost 9:00pm when the blue-banded turtle announced that he was tired, and going to bed early. With an admonishment not to stay up too late, Leonardo retreated up the stairs out of their sight. He either ignored or didn't seem to notice Raphael's keen amber gaze trailing after him the whole time.

Leonardo turned off the light after only being in his room for a couple of minutes, but sleeping wasn't actually at the forefront of his mind. He was waiting - waiting for everyone else to wind down and go to their respective quarters, so he could make his own move. That could sometimes take awhile, but he had a feeling that the heaviness of the latest circumstances would encourage the others to turn in early too.

He laid quite still in the darkness, listening for the faint sounds that he could hear coming from downstairs. Gradually his mind drifted where it actually wanted to go, considering their new threat.

He had no more faith in any kind of law enforcement to properly deal with them, than he'd had in directly contacting the FBI when Kat and Greg had been taken. Leonardo fully supported their goals - he wanted justice done in every respect of the law. But he also understood that the Police and FBI had certain restrictions imposed on them by those same laws, hurdles that he and his brothers eventually had to ignore. Of all of them, Leonardo was the most uncomfortable with that part.

The noise started dying down more over the course of the next hour and a half, and he eventually heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs that he'd been straining for. Even after that, he waited another hour in the darkness to be certain they were settled down. Only then did he slowly rise out of bed, and quietly strap his blades back on.

He was surprised to be met by complete darkness when he opened the door, even though he'd brought his flashlight to be prepared for it. Typically they left at least one light on downstairs, but tonight the entire Den was cast in darkness. Leonardo paused by his brothers' doors to listen, and make sure that they weren't moving. He heard soft snoring from Michelangelo's direction, and everything was quiet on Raph's end of things.

Then Leonardo silently made his way down the stairs with his flashlight, and headed for the door. He'd only just gotten it open when a lamp popped on in the living area, revealing his red-banded brother with crossed arms.

"Where ya going Fearless?" He said a little sarcastically. "Yeah, you're busted. Why don't you just shut the door?"

The blue-banded turtle didn't even bother saying anything; he merely shut the door, and fidgeted uncomfortably in the spot he was standing.

"I have to ask Leo - do I look stupid to you?" Raphael persisted.

There was only one safe answer to _that. _"No, of course not Raph." He answered with a sigh, as he came over and dropped on the couch.

"Maybe you haven't noticed, but I'm not 16, and my head isn't that far up my shell anymore. You think I don't know what's going on with you? You weren't even _acting_ tired tonight. Give me a little credit here Leo."

"I'm sorry." The blue-banded turtle said. "I honestly wasn't planning on trying to take anybody."

"You were just gonna go _looking_ for 'em. Leo, don't you get that I wanna chase down these idiots as bad as you do? But considering what we saw last night, I don't think any solo missions are a good plan. But you tell me bro - what would you do if I was the one trying to sneak out right now?"

His brother swiped a nervous hand across his forehead, and finally met his gaze again. "I wouldn't have let you go."

"Uh huh. But it's okay for_ you_ to go off on your own? Sounds like a double standard." Raphael challenged.

"Yeah, that's probably what that is." Leonardo admitted outright.

"Leo, I get that I have the long-standing reputation as the hot-headed impulsive one of the group, but things aren't the same as they were before, y'know what I mean?" The red-banded turtle hesitated for a beat. "What I'm saying is, don't do this. Not alone. We've come too close to losing somebody, too many times."

Leonardo sat back further against the couch with a sudden smile.

"What?" His younger brother demanded, sounding much more like his normal self.

"Nothing, you're right. No solos."


	9. Slave

***The following role is one I've actually devoted hours of research to, more so than any character I've ever written. I want to make it clear that none of this is coming based on my own guesswork, or something I simply saw on TV or in a movie. It's always been my goal to write a realistic portrayals of events. That's even more true in this case, as I didn't want to settle for myths or half-truths concerning drug addiction. This is _not _a "catch-all" depiction, or a true rendering of any real person in existence, and their battle with substance abuse. The woman is a fictional character, and this is her fictional story. It's also important to note that not all of her physical symptoms are related to the drug itself, but other existing physical issues. So with that disclaimer, let's get back to it.**

* * *

The so called "Haruko" came around in the early afternoon, by a forceful tug from Shirou on her blond hair, forcing her head upright off the mattress.

"Konnichiwa sureibu. Today is the day." He told her pleasantly enough, and kissed the woman on the lips.

She wanted to flinch away from him, but she knew better by now. He only seemed to enjoy it more when she resisted him, and inevitably it also made it last longer as well.

"You hungry?" He asked her, getting to his feet a little stiffly.

Her brown eyes weren't looking at him, but were trained downward at the used needle lying on the floor near his feet.

He laughed at her. "You have a one track mind Haruko. I think it's better that I wait for right now, I need some assurance of your good behaviour. As long as you're cooperative, you'll get exactly what you want." Shirou told her, with another stroke of her cheek. "Once the problem is dealt with that is." He added. "Now get yourself up - I'll be back soon."

Without another word he left the room, the room that had become her prison cell.

She rolled over to face the wall, and gazed at the tally marks that were some attempt of her own to document how many days she'd been here. Some of them were so shaky that they didn't even qualify as a real line, others running together so that she could hardly distinguish one from another. She's tried to count them - how many times she'd tried to figure out how long she'd been here. How long it had been since she felt like a real person. Living had become nothing more than a waiting game to her, waiting for the fix, the euphoria that was her only escape. Then came the crash, and more waiting.

She reached down to grasp the nail in her hand that had been on the floor by the wall, and dragged the edge of it over the surface to create another line. Another line, another day. And he wasn't going to grant her the easy relief that she'd become accustomed to until later. She sat up further on the mattress, fingering the nail silently in her hand, instead of letting it go.

The young woman turned over the wrist of her free hand, wondering if she had the strength to finish it, the power to slice the vein open, and finally finish it. She'd made half-hearted attempts before, but always been too afraid to apply the necessary pressure. _Why should today be any different? _

She slowly released her grip on the nail and let it fall to the floor, then sitting up on the edge of the mattress. Shirou would be back before long, and there would be punishment if she wasn't ready to shower and change. She was used to the forced escorts by now, having no privacy for even the simple act of washing.

It had been that way ever since Shirou claimed her for himself. She was only one of many sureibu, though her situation differed from most of the others. She saw them on a rare occasion, when she wasn't locked inside Shirous' quarters, when they were hustled through the complex like ghosts in the night.

When she'd first come here, it almost felt like a dream come true. Shirou supplied her with the drug she craved, ending the constant cycle of theft and cajoling of other males around her to support the habit she'd developed. He'd been nice to her at first, but over the course of days and weeks, things had changed dramatically. Whereas she'd at first been convinced that he cared for her, she understood fully now that she was only property to him, and that her own coming here had been arranged by the gang that she'd become a terrible drain upon.

The passage of time was difficult to determine, that was why she'd tried using the tally system to begin with. The only thing she remembered with certainty from her transition to this place from the gang, was that it had been Winter at the time. That would have been helpful information alone, if she had any clue what season it was outside right now.

Outside these walls. She was being taken out today, venturing beyond the complex for the first time today since becoming sureibu. She felt no excitement in the matter, but incredible nerves instead, wracking every part of her body.

She _needed _it - oh, how she needed it. Shirou wouldn't often keep it from her for long periods of time, but it just figured that today of all days, he would have to hold it over her head to gain her complete compliance. Her hand traveled unconsciously to her stomach, which still revealed nothing concerning the life that was growing inside of her. The life that was going to die, the way that she wished she could night and day. She found herself almost envying the unborn, who in mere hours would be cut off from ever entering the real world.

The young woman ran a shaky hand through her tangled long hair, as she gather enough will to actually get up off the mattress. She tugged at the only article of clothing she was wearing at the moment, a short-sleeve t-shirt that had probably fit her correctly at some point, but now hung on her loosely. There had to be some more clothes around here somewhere. She search the room somewhat dizzily, hating the already gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach. She needed it.

As her gaze flickered across the room, the very walls looked as if they would close in on her. _Breathe! _She had to remind herself, pausing in the center of the room. She forced herself to accept the fact that the walls weren't really moving, and that she was supposed to be looking for something. What was she supposed to be searching for?

Shirou returned abruptly, shaking his head at the sight of the disoriented woman turning in a tight circle. "You can't do anything yourself, can you? How could you possibly have a child, when you are just as helpless as one?" He said scornfully, and gave her a mighty shove back onto the mattress, then darted around the room to grab some things for her himself.

"Get up." He commanded then. "The world will not come to a stop for your laziness. On your feet, or I swear you won't get a single taste today."

Brown eyes shot open wider at that, and she was suddenly fighting her way upright from the prone position.

"_Teishu _(Master), I need it." Her voice wavered, even as she tried to prevent it from doing so.

"I already told you, not until later. Appointment first, pleasure after." He said shortly, and pushed her toward the door roughly. "Now move woman, I don't have all day."

* * *

Shirou would have to wait longer than he'd originally thought, as his contact at the clinic made the emergency phone call to him about an hour later, pushing the appointment back until later that evening. The young man was tempted to grumble about it, but reasoned that it would be less of an opportunity for discovery in any case. Inconvenience could often act as a blessing in disguise.

It was after 9pm by the time he had her in the car, and was driving back downtown to get to the clinic where her procedure would be completed. He would have to make certain that they were thorough, so that this pregnancy would not only be dealt with, but to provide assurance that there couldn't be any more surprises like this one. For what he was paying, they'd _better_ get the job done correctly.

He'd seen the signs of her bleeding increasing over three weeks now, and administered the test on the advice of someone else. He'd considered allowing what appeared to be a running complication run it's course, knowing full well it was unlikely that the child could survive to full term anyway. But this way he would know that it was done more safely, and he could make the call to sterilize her at the same time.

The woman could hardly sit still in the passenger seat, as muscles involuntarily contracted. He'd buckled her in himself, if for no other reason than to help keep her actually seated. Her anxiety had been manifesting more over the last couple of hours, to the point that he'd seriously considered giving it to her, just to shut her up. But the possibility of an interaction with the general anesthetic she was going to need for the procedure held him back from giving her what she wanted.

Slow tears were coursing down her cheeks as she stared out the window at the lights, fixed on every glowing orb of a street lamp that they passed by. She'd expected to feel a little relief upon leaving her prison for the first time in what had to be months, but experienced nothing of the kind. In fact, it seemed to have the opposite effect on her, increasing her anxiety to such an unreasonable level that Shirou could hardly tolerate her.

He slammed a hand down on her shoulder as he was approaching another intersection, cursing her under his breath in Japanese as she trembled. His own attention diverted, he didn't even see the approaching headlights of the car from the west-bound lane, that had just blown the end of a light cycle.

Neither driver nor passenger were prepared for impact with the speeding car, which seemed to occur faster than the blink of an eye. It t-boned their vehicle as it made contact with the driver's side, and the airbags swiftly deployed to the rescue. The young woman's breath came in short gasps as the car rolled to a halt.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God..."

Weak fingers fumbled with her seat belt, and then her gaze landed on Shirou. The man wasn't moving - could it honestly be that easy? She reached toward him, grasping for his wrist to search for a pulse. She let go with a heavy sigh when she found it, and then startled upright when she heard a knock on her passenger side window.

Fear was her instant reaction, but another emotion suddenly rose above it, that she hadn't felt in...she couldn't remember how long. Hope.

She unlocked the passenger door, and was met by a concerned bystander.

"Are you alright, can you move everything?" The man asked her.

The blond woman nodded somewhat uncertainly, and then suddenly bulled her way out of the car, past the shocked observer.

"Hold on, you're bleeding. You need to sit down." The stranger encouraged her. "C'mon, the paramedics will be here soon."

But she had no intention of waiting around for Shirou to wake up. The woman took off running with a surge of adrenaline, a determined push that overcame the pain she was feeling, and the desperate craving for the fix. She heard feet pursuing her, and forced herself to go even faster, cutting inside of a parking garage.

Inside she fought to get out of sight, finally collapsing in-between two parked cars, and forcing her way underneath a pick-up truck. She tried to steady racing breath as she heard feet run past her, and circle back around twice over the course of a few minutes. Only when she heard nothing did she dare try to rise, with some serious difficulty.

She was bleeding from a gash over one eye and a couple of other surface scrapes, but her own jeans were the main source of blood loss now. She stumbled her way back out of the garage onto the street, looking left and right like a frightened doe. The abdominal cramps that had been persistent throughout the day had increased significantly after running, and were rearing up again now in flashes of severe pain.

The young woman just barely focused through the latest round of pain, as she moved toward a convenience store. If she could just get something to drink, maybe she could keep going. The door took three attempts for her to get open, and she paused only one stride inside of the building, as dizziness threatened any further move.

The shocked face of the cashier who was dashing toward her was the last thing she saw before she hit the floor.


	10. Tense Wait

The ringing successfully roused Timothy from a deep dream, and he sat up with a groggy jerk. His hand immediately felt around in the darkness for his cell-phone on the side-table, and he didn't even bother checking who it was.

"Hello?...Chief?" He was a little surprised to be met by his Superior's voice on the other end. "Yeah, I'm awake. What's the situation?...I was asleep sir, I'm definitely still sitting down...Wait, they _what_?"

* * *

An increasingly frustrated and emotional Timothy Long was traveling the entire length of the waiting room, feeling heavier and heavier with every few minutes that passed. The others were nearby, Victoria, April, and Katherine were seated waiting. Luke and Marcus were still poking around behind the scenes with as much privilege as their own doctor status permitted them, trying to find out more information for Tim than the other doctor had already told him outright.

He just wanted to see her, to touch her, and to make sure that what was happening wasn't a dream. The girls had tried to get him to sit down, to relax somewhat and talk with them, but Timothy was doing none of it. To be this close to his little girl whose fate had been haunting him for years, and not even allowed to see her was almost unspeakably cruel as far as he was concerned.

Tears had come intermittently, but he'd resisted the urge to grant full vent to them. She was the only person alive who had the power to reduce him to this - he'd cried much harder and longer when his daughter ran, than even when his then wife had left him for Europe.

His phone buzzed at his side, and he glanced down at the facing for an instant. Tim almost didn't bother answering it, but couldn't bring himself to ignore it. He sniffed hard to try and collect himself, then flipped it open. "Hey Leo." Was all he could manage immediately.

"Hi." The blue-banded turtle said quietly. "I don't want to be a pest, I'm just calling to ask--"

"I haven't heard about her." Timothy interrupted him. "I don't know anything, not _anything_! I can't take this, I can't take the waiting over here Leo! I'm about to lose my mind, and go off on the next medical person who refuses to give me any details!"

By the time he was finished, he was breathing so hard it sounded like he could have been running for miles.

"Tim, you have to slow down." Leonardo's tone was both firm and calm at the same time, cutting through the panic that was infiltrating Tim's mind.

"Slow down, and breath." The turtle repeated. "Now I already talked to Doc, I know you've got nothing to report. I was calling to check on_ you_."

The man laughed humorlessly, as he came to rest against a wall. He braced his forehead against it, his entire body shaking from the pent-up tension. "Do you have any idea how many times I've dreamed about finding her? I've pictured how I would react, what I would say to her. I didn't envision waiting around a hospital to find out if she would LIVE long enough to be reunited with!"

That was the end of intelligent speech he was capable of for a couple of minutes, as he broke down completely against the wall. He'd never let go of the phone, and after about five minutes of silence, he realized that the blue-banded turtle hadn't hung up the phone either. "This is stupid. You don't need to sit on the phone with me."

"I don't mind Tim - in a way, it's the next best thing to actually being there. I'm sorry that I can't be." Leonardo answered.

Tim turned around from facing the wall, and braced his back against it instead. "You shouldn't be apologizing for that." Tim replied more quietly, as the turtle's infectious calm settled deeper over him. "I'm sorry for freaking out on you. When they told me they found her, that she was alive..." He paused to take a deep breath. "I was so relieved, and then I come down here to find out she's in surgery? It threw me big time."

"Tim, I know what you're going through, in some respects. Believe me when I say that getting quiet is the best thing for you to do right now. If you need to go scream somewhere, then go get it out. But then you've got to pull it back in."

"I'm not sure if I can. If I lose her now--"

"You have to stop thinking that way. I know what's going through your head, that you're still blaming yourself for her leaving in the first place. No matter what the outcome is tonight, you shouldn't be shouldering the blame for it. It's outside of your control, and it doesn't have anything to do with what you did or _didn't _do. She's in the best place she could possibly be to get help. The police were able to identify her right away, because you made the effort to get her prints and her description into the system. You never stopped looking for her, even while her Mom apathetically lived her own life overseas, despite the fact that her daughter was missing.

If there's going to be a time to grieve, then wait for it Tim. Don't allow it to consume you already, when there's still hope. Hold onto good thoughts, and pray for her. You might not feel like you have the strength inside you to do that, but you do. I've seen it." Leonardo finished.

* * *

While one group was huddled on the surface waiting, the other half of the "family" was sitting underground, waiting for news just as anxiously. Leonardo had spent a solid forty minutes on the phone with Tim in another room, before returning to the living area to rejoin the others.

"How's he doin' Fearless?" Raphael spoke up first.

The blue-banded turtle shook one hand from side to side. "He's shaky right now, but...he'll make it. I tried to encourage him, though the thought her dying _now_, when it's that close...it does seem to make it worse. Have you heard anything more from either of the docs?"

Donatello raised a hand from his chair. "I talked to Luke about ten minutes ago. He wormed his way into seeing her CT scan, said that the hemorrhage was caused by her fallopian tube bursting. It has something to do with a ectopic pregnancy."

"What's that?" Leonardo had to ask him.

"He was just about to tell us." Michelangelo answered.

"I'm not that familiar with it either Leo, I looked it up after I talked to Doc. In a normal pregnancy, the fertilized egg travels through the fallopian tube, to where it ends up in the uterus. But it in her case it didn't make the whole trip, and ended up getting attached to her fallopian tube. It can cause internal bleeding, and if it isn't discovered early on, it can create a much worse scenario. Hence the tube bursting tonight, and the subsequent massive hemorrhage."

"What are her chances Donny?" Jenna asked softly from beside him.

"Jen, I couldn't tell you. It depends on how much blood she's actually lost, and other factors, including how low her blood pressure has dropped." Donatello told her, and shook his head. "We just have to wait to hear more."

* * *

After talking to Leonardo, Timothy had trudged back to where the others were sitting, and took a seat beside Victoria with a giant sigh. She reached for his hand a little tentatively, and he allowed her to take it. The man mutely met her gaze, waiting to see if the woman would say anything. Victoria simply held her peace, offering silent support the only way she knew how to in that moment. Tim lightly drew her hand to his mouth, and kissed it.

"Thank you for being here." He told her.

She simply nodded, as Luke cleared his throat a little.

"I have some more information, if you want it." He told Timothy, and continued when the man shook his head. "The good news is they found the source of the bleeding, which means they can address it more directly."

"Don't leave anything out on me Luke." Tim said evenly.

"There was a flawed pregnancy. It caused undue pressure on her fallopian tube, and it burst completely earlier this evening. There's evidence to support that she's been bleeding internally for awhile, but tonight the situation got critical."

"She was going to have a baby." Tim said softly, mostly to himself.

"Instances of a child surviving an ectopic pregnancy are unfortunately very rare Tim, almost unheard of. In this case, there's already nothing that can be done on that count. But her own chance of recovery has increased simply because they've got the source."

* * *

It was another few minutes yet before her doctor came out to talk to Timothy himself, and reiterate some of the things that Luke had already told him.

"She's in recovery now, though not completely out of the woods Captain Long. She's going to need some time to stabilize completely, her body's been through a very traumatic ordeal. I know you're anxious to see her, and I'll arrange that as soon as feasible. Before you move that direction, I wanted to prepare you a little bit. I understand that you haven't seen her in several years time..." The doctor trailed off slightly.

"Seven years." He filled in stoically. "I don't care what she looks like, I need to see her. I don't know how much more waiting I can actually take."

"I thought it would be wise to discuss some treatment options frankly, before much more time had passed." The doctor went on.

Tim held up his hands helplessly. "You're the doctors, right? Surely you have the best options in mind. Forgive me if I'm blunt, but you have my express permission to do your job. I want to see Calley."

"Captain Long, her recovery is going to be a little more complicated than the surgical procedure that was performed here, and it will likely have to carry on for months outside the hospital."

"What are you saying?"

"We found strong evidence of long term substance abuse on her physical person Captain Long." The doctor hesitated an instant longer. "Her blood sample returned strong traces of heroin still in her system. In all likelihood, the battle's just about to get started."


	11. Missing You

Leonardo found himself unable to sleep very much past dawn, despite another late night. If there was one thing the turtle really hated, it was lying awake in bed without any hope of falling back asleep. He only gave it about half an hour of waiting, before choosing to get up entirely. When he came out to the hall, he instantly noticed that he wasn't the only early riser that morning. A glance downstairs confirmed that one of his brothers was already awake too.

He padded quietly downstairs, where the sight of Michelangelo with his requisite cereal bowl made the older turtle smile. Some things really never changed. The youngest turtle loved to cook, but rarely did only for himself. If he was reduced to only meeting his own hunger, he had his old stand-by that he predictably turned to both day and night.

The orange masked turtle looked over when he heard him coming. "Morning Leo. What's happenin'?"

The blue-banded turtle sat down by him, shrugging slightly as he did. "Not much. Did you sleep okay?"

"Probably about as well as you did." His brother answered, as he set his bowl down on the coffee table. "Are you hungry yet? I'm guessing nobody's gonna sleep late today. I should start thinking about breakfast soon."

"I'm good, don't go to any trouble yet just on my account." Leonardo told him, and then paused for a few seconds before going on. "Mikey, did Donny happen to mention to you what was bugging him the other day?"

"Uh, yeah, we talked." The younger turtle replied a little uncomfortably. "It wasn't...um..he didn't...I don't think--"

"It's okay Mike." Leonardo said quickly. "I wasn't going to ask you about specifics, I just wanted to make sure that he talked to somebody."

He almost laughed at the relieved look on the orange-masked turtle's face. "Y'know, it's not absolutely necessary for us to spill our guts about _everything_. Everyone deserves a little space when they need it. For instance, Raph didn't mention to you that I tried to sneak out the other night, did he?"

"What'd you do that for?" Michelangelo asked.

"I was planning on going back to that club, trying to canvas the neighborhood."

"You were gonna chase after those people on your own?_ Leo_! Have you completely forgotten everything from this last year? How many times do you have to be locked up, before you figure out how much we all need each other?" The orange-masked turtle ended up being a lot sharper than he'd intended, and had to let out a slow breath to steady his own tone. "You have no idea what it was like to lose all three of you." He said more quietly after that. "You've gotta promise me, none of these suicide missions, okay?"

Leonardo nodded seriously, but then suddenly smiled again. "The phrase 'me and my big mouth' is coming back to haunt me right now."

"For real Leo. Those guys are no joke, and they don't have any reason to want us alive. What did Raph say to you? He must have given you the riot act."

"Surprisingly, no. He was actually pretty rational about the whole thing."

"Unlike my reaction you mean."

"Hey..." Leonardo trailed off slowly, reaching for his brother's shoulder. "I _don't _know how hard it was to be the only one of us on the outside. But I am promising you that I won't do anything to jeopardize myself...at least not without everyone else present." He finished wryly.

The orange-masked turtle shook his head in bewilderment. "Raph's rational, you're joking, and I'm exploding. Did we enter some parallel dimension, and everyone forgot to tell me? I'm not sure I wanna know what Donny's like in opposite land."

* * *

Calley was terrified when she woke up, and had no idea where she was. The overwhelming anxiety gave her the sensation that she couldn't breathe, and instant panic ensued. Tim's first move was to ram the button for the nurses' call station, but his second was to try and prevent his disoriented daughter from ripping out her own IV, and taking off running out of the hospital room.

Her brown eyes were open, but didn't seem to be truly focusing on him. As he tried to prevent her from injuring herself, she recoiled from his touch and attempted to lash out at him.

"Let me go - LET ME GO!" The scream that came out of her mouth was almost earth shattering in its' resonance.

"Calley, honey, it's me." He told her as calmly as he could manage. "Stop fighting, I don't want you to hurt yourself. Look at me Calley - you're safe. Nothing's going to happen to you. You're safe."

The name is honestly what got her attention first. Shirou had his own terms of "endearment" for her, and she'd run under a different label with the Dagos too. Her own first name was something she hadn't heard spoken out loud by someone else in literally years. She was just starting to loosen her death grip on the side-rails, when a nurse rushed through the door prepared for action.

Tim was still breathing a little hard himself, but motioned for the woman to stop. "I think it's okay. She seems...I think it's okay." He told the nurse haltingly.

"There are several things that we need to look at sir." The woman reminded him, and Tim took a step away from his daughter so that he could face her directly.

"Please. Ten minutes. I haven't seen or heard from her in...please, just give me that."

The woman hesitated, and glanced back over at the door. "You have ten minutes. But I'm staying close by. Another outburst like that one, and visiting time is over."

"Thank you, thank you." He said swiftly, and returned to the young woman's side.

Tim pulled his chair closer to the bed, and sat down slowly, as if trying to maintain the semi-calm state she seemd to be in now.

It was then that Calley looked at him, and actually appeared to see the man for the first time. A note of disbelief entered her expression, as she worked to sit further upright. "Dad?" Her voice was almost inaudible from where he sat, but he didn't miss the word.

"Yes Calley," He said reassuringly. "It's me."

"You're here?" She asked, as if she couldn't accept the fact that he was actually sitting there.

"Yes Calley." He repeated, and then reached for her hand with some hesitation. "I've been here all night, waiting."

"You waited for me? All night?"

"I'd wait my whole life if I had to, but I think seven years was plenty long enough." He was trying hard not to get emotional again, but couldn't prevent it entirely. "_Calley_. I've missed you so much."

She cocked her head at him a little strangely, the look in her brown eyes still somewhat fuzzy. "Why did you miss me?" She murmured.

"Because I love you, I never stopped loving you. And I never stopped looking for you, when so many people thought I just needed to face facts, to believe that you could be dead. I couldn't accept that completely."

"I _am_ dead." She stated. "I've been dead for so long, I don't know what it's like to breathe."

Tim swallowed hard, not sure at all how to respond to that. "Then I'm going to help you remember." He finally told her. "You'll never be alone. I promise you're going to get through this, and I'll be here with you the entire time."

* * *

Brandon James had been waiting in an impossibly long line inside the Manhattan Civic Center for what had felt like half the morning. He'd come down in person, because he'd been told that his license could be transferred faster by going in physically. No one had thought to mention that half the city of New York liked to show up here on Monday mornings.

He'd tried to have a good attitude about it, keeping himself busy by flipping through the extensive information packet he'd received on P.S. 112. A somewhat secretive yet excited smile kept creeping onto his face, as he imagined surprising Katherine and Karina again. They had no idea he was already in New York, let alone that he hadn't renewed his teaching contract in Sacramento.

Brandon had arrived in the city three days earlier, to finish the interviewing process that had started weeks ago, only days after his sisters had asked him if he could find his way out to New York when the schools let out in California. They hadn't asked him if he was willing or thinking about moving all the way across the country, but they also had no way of knowing how long he'd been considering doing just that. Brandon had felt virtually cut off from the two of them for long enough. There was nothing left tying him to the West Coast, anymore than it had them.

He'd been reading the same paragraph over and over for the last five minutes, distracted by the sensation that someone was watching him. Brandon finally glanced over his shoulder, and saw what appeared to be a slightly familiar man standing behind him. The individual gave him a somewhat sheepish smile.

"Sorry, I uh...I don't usually forget a face. I feel like I should know you, but I'm having a hard time placing you."

Brandon shook his head, taking in part of what appeared to be a badge. "You're familiar too. Are you FBI?"

"Matthew Kelley." The man offered him a hand.

"Oh! Oh yeah, you're my sister's boss, or were I should say. Katherine Barrows, though she says people around the Bureau never got around to calling her anything but James."

"Some names just tend to stick. You're um...Brandon? We met a couple of years ago, didn't we?"

"After the 'Terelli' incident, yes."

"Never forget that, huh? Some Thanksgiving." Kelley remarked. "So what brings you to our fair Civic Center?"

"Transferring my teaching license. I got a job in the city."

"Congratulations. Made the coastal jump, huh? That's a big step, hope everything transitions smoothly for you. Your sisters must be thrilled."

"I haven't actually seen them yet. The plan was to surprise them, whenever I get the heck through here." He added a little morosely.

"Well, let her know that we're still thinking about her. It was hard to let your sister walk away, but I can understand wanting the opportunity to live life while you're still young enough to enjoy it. I guess that hit home especially hard after the year she's had."

"You mean with Luke's abduction? That was rough." Brandon acknowledged. "It was hard to hear her in that position, so helpless to do anything about it."

"And_ then _you add in that recent ordeal she and her partner went through. I think it could have been the straw that broke the camel's back for both of 'em." Kelley said regretfully.

Brandon stared at the man unspeaking for a long instant. "I'm sorry, which ordeal?"


	12. My Girls

***Figured I could afford to send out a _little_ sweetness before things get complicated again.**

* * *

"How could you be so irresponsible with that which was entrusted to you?" Takashi demanded of the young warrior, who knew better than to dare look his superior in the eyes right now. "She lived among us, she knows _you _Shirou! Your stupidity had put our entire operation in jeopardy! Can you give me one good reason not to kill you right where you stand?"

Eyes trained firmly on the floor, the man shook his head. " No Takashi-sama. My life is forfeit for this. I have no excuse." He answered without protesting, the way that he was expected to.

The young man hadn't been seriously injured in the accident, thanks to his own seat belt and the airbag. He'd come back around even before the ambulance arrived, to discover to his intense dismay that the sureibu was already gone. Half a dozen men had combed the neighborhood of the accident all night long for the woman, but had come up completely empty.

Shirou stood motionless in front of his leader, waiting for his response.

"I cannot treat you differently just because you are my _sochi _(son). This action must be accounted for." Takashi said plainly.

"My life is yours Chichioya." Shirou withdrew his own blade, and held it up in supplication to him.

There were certain rules of protocol that required a definitive response from Takashi at this point, but the man had never been someone to obey the letter of the law. Shirou was not only his own flesh and blood, but by far one of the best warriors among them.

"You put me in a difficult position Shirou. If this were anyone else, they would not have even survived the night. But I am willing to allow you the opportunity to redeem yourself."

The young man's head raised a couple of inches, though he was careful still not to look at the man in front of him.

"You have seven days my son. Seven days to find her, to either contain the sureibu or kill her yourself. If your mistake has farther reaching consequences that effect our organization, your life is forfeit whether you can find her or not. Prove yourself Shirou, prove yourself to me again. Show that you are worthy of the name you carry, and so regain your place."

"It will be done father." He said with a certainty, withholding the smile that so badly wanted to get out. He knew his personal sureibu well after these nine months that she'd been with him. She'd already been 24 hours without the drug now, and her own desperation was the most powerful factor that would soon be driving her. She had his number, and he was positive that his phone would be ring well before the week was out.

* * *

Karina was stretching out on one of the mats in the boy's practice room, with one leg on either side of her. She pushed it slowly until she felt muscles responding, taking her time to finish it the right way before moving into a more serious warm-up. The woman felt someone's eyes on her, but didn't have to bother with turning around.

"Don't just stand there," She commented with a wry smile. "Why don't you get your shell in here, get loosened up too."

The red-banded turtle flopped onto the mat across from her. Though their workouts couldn't have been more different from each other, they often ended up doing this part of stretching together. It usually required more work for Raphael in the long run, in order to get his mind focused where it was supposed to be. But that was a price he was willing to pay, for the trade-off of watching her hone her own lithe frame.

His right leg still felt a little stiff, but he was easily able to push through it. He concentrated a little extra effort on it, as the bronze haired woman began a more complicated series of exercises on her feet to finish with the warm up.

"How's the choreography coming?" He asked with a small grunt.

The red-banded turtle had never expected to be that taken up with a dancer of all people, or that he would be spending so much time watching complete strangers from hiding, as they learned the routines that Karina wrote. He'd come to somewhat grudgingly respect the amount of work and skill they put into it, while watching Karina herself was a thrill that wasn't even worth arguing about.

"It's coming," She replied. "At least I'm about half-way through the third number, but I still need to nail down the rest of it."

"You've got practice tonight, don't you?"

"Six. It should give me enough time today to hopefully finish the song." She answered, granting the turtle a slow pirouette that she knew he had a hard time resisting.

"That's not fair." He spoke up. "I'm trying to work over here too."

"What's the problem Raph? Are you getting distracted again?" She asked, batting light green eyes at him innocently.

"You know exactly what you're doing." He half-accused her.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said matter a factly.

"Right, you've got no idea." He said sarcastically as she finished the maneuver, and then dropped onto the mat beside him.

"I'm just working here Raph. I've got to get this part finished before the month is over. We open up in less than three!"

"And yet, you're spending precious time trying to get a rise out of _me_."

"Seems like it's working." She remarked with a grin, resting one hand lightly on the turtle's arm.

Raphael never required very much encouragement from her end either. He drew the woman closer to his own frame, and the two lingered in an extended kiss for a couple of minutes. The turtle shook his head at her after that, as he brushed a stray hair off the side of her face. "Working out always seems to take three times as long when I warm up with you."

"I can't imagine why that would be." She responded glibly.

"You're a bad influence."

"We're all gifted in different ways."

He chuckled, right before she moved in for another kiss from him.

"You're good luck. I'm just using you to help me write." She said slyly to the turtle.

"I guess there are worse things that that."

* * *

Donatello glanced over his shoulder when he heard someone coming into the Lab. He hadn't expected to see Jenna, but she was a welcome interruption just the same. "Hey babe. I thought you were going to drop in on Karina."

"The practice room is occupied." She emphasized strongly, making the purple-banded turtle laugh.

"Are either of them getting anything done?"

She shrugged. "It comes together eventually, doesn't it? What are you working on?"

"I'm still in the process of breaking down chemical components. I think I'm going to need Luke's help pretty badly to obtain some of this stuff. It's not anywhere close to being accessible to your average buyer."

"Am I bothering you by being here?"

"No, you're not. Is something on your mind?"

"Do you ever get bored with me?" She asked quickly, before she could stop herself.

"Do I _what_?" That question made him turn around completely to face her. "That's crazy talk Jen. Where's this coming from?"

"It's just that...you know...we've been together a long time. And I don't expect things to be the same way with us that they are with Raph and Karina. That's not a bad thing, I was just wondering--"

The purple-banded turtle kicked his chair out of the way, took the young woman around the waist, and set her up on top of his desk. Then he cut her off mid-sentence with a surprising kiss, which she immediately returned once she got over the slight shock. Both of her hands laced around the turtle's neck as she kissed him back, and tried hard to not jostle his keyboard at the same time.

She couldn't help giggling slightly after a minute. "I'm trying not to break anything."

"Jenna, listen to me. I know I get distracted, and I'm sorry. I'm not bored with you, not today, not ever. That's an impossibility as far as I'm concerned. Feel free to smack me over the head anytime that I'm getting too lost inside other things." He told her seriously.

"I just might take you up on that if you're not careful." She teased him.

"As long as you're gentle."

"I wouldn't count on it." She replied, and pulled his chin back toward her a second time.

Outside the window of the Lab, Leonardo and Michelangelo swiftly backed away.

"Shell, we can't talk to _anybody_ today." The orange-masked turtle laughed.

"Must be something in the water." Leonardo replied. "So what can I watch you cook bro?"

* * *

Katherine was finishing the task of combining two shopping lists at the kitchen table, when she heard the knock on the front door. The woman jumped up from her perch, and trotted through the dining room to the foyer to answer it. She jolted in surprise to find her younger brother on the other side of the door, and couldn't hold back a rare squeal. "Oh my word, _Brandon_! What are you doing here? Why didn't you tell us you were getting in? It's so great to see you!"

The woman threw both arms around him, but his reception of her was cool at best.

"Hey Kat." He said flatly. "It's been awhile."

"C'mon in, where's all your stuff? I know you didn't come all the way from California empty handed."

"It's at my hotel." He said simply. "I got in a couple of days ago, wanted to surprise the two of you. Where is Karina today, is she busy?"

"She has to work with her dancers tonight, but that's not until 6. So what's the deal with the hotel and the surprising?"

"I know I'm not the _only_ one out to shock people around here." He said evenly. "Do you think she'd come over? We need to talk, and it'd be easier to do it together."

Katherine studied her brother for a few instants. The chip on his shoulder was probably big enough to be seen from outer space. Something was clearly up with him, and her nerves were suddenly rising as she tried to imagine what it could be. As the same time, she was drawn in by what seemed to be an extremely hurt look in his golden brown eyes.

"Why don't you sit down Brandon? I'll call her right now." She offered.

"Works for me." He replied stiffly, and Katherine was actually quite happy to get out of the room.

In the kitchen she snapped her phone off the table, and quickly hit her sister's speed-dial. "Kari." She said sharply when the woman answered. "Can you get up to Chelsea, like now? Brandon's here, and something's not right with him...No, I haven't even told him anything yet. Can you come? Okay...Yeah, just hurry, alright?"


	13. Trust Issues

Katherine had a rather uncomfortable wait alone with her brother in the time that it took Karina to drive herself over there in the Battle Shell, which was an experience alone for the woman who'd never driven it before. She came in through the back door, and made eye contact with Kat first from the direction that she entered the living room.

Her glance was questioning, but Kat quickly shook her head in confusion at her. All of her attempts to talk to Brandon in the meantime had been met with short one to three word answers.

"Hey brother." Karina tried to sound normal, despite how nervous she was about things that needed to be relayed.

The man rose slowly to his feet to meet her, and then dropped immediately back onto the couch while casting a glance between the two of them.

"Okay Brandon, what's going on?" Katherine asked, not wanting to beat around the bush any longer than they already had.

"That's what I wanted to ask the two of you." He replied sharply. "It's been close to six months since I've seen you. It'd be nice to catch up, don't you think?"

The two sisters exchanged another look of their own, before both turned back to face him.

"We do need to," Karina acknowledged. "We have a lot to talk about, that's why we asked if you'd come. We would have been happy to come to you in California, but we have something to show you too, and it doesn't travel very well."

"But was there something you needed to say first Brandon?" Katherine ventured. "Like why you came early, or what this surprise was about?"

"I had the last stage of a job interview on Friday." He answered, and his sisters both sat up straighter.

"Here in New York you mean?" Karina verified. "You're planning to stay?"

"That was my intention. I didn't renew my contract in California, and I walked out on my condo. I sold it I should say, for a bit of a loss. I just wanted to unload the thing."

"How did it go?" Katherine asked about the interview.

"Well. I signed a new contract with P.S. 112 to teach History and English as a second language. I ended up at the Civic Center today to finish up the process of transferring my license."

"Brandon, this is fantastic." Katherine beamed at him. "I can't believe you didn't mention that you were planning any of this."

He gave her a somewhat dark look. "Yeah, it was hard not to. Family's supposed to be real with each other, aren't they?"

"What's wrong?" Katherine wasn't about to put off asking him any longer.

"There's nothing wrong with _me_. How about you girls? How's your year been so far?" He asked evenly.

"Interesting." Kat replied dryly. "It's part of the reason that we wanted you to come. But now that you're here, it sounds like something else needs to be addressed first. Why don't you tell us what's going on with you Brandon?"

He shifted slightly on the couch, before turning a keen eye on Katherine. "I met somebody I already knew today. What are the chances of that, right? A city of millions, and I run into one of the only other people in the population that I've been introduced to. But maybe it's not a _huge_ stretch, considering your old headquarters is attached to the Civic Center."

"You saw someone that I worked with?"

"Your Director Kat. He ran into me while I was waiting in quite the line. We had a nice talk, it was very informative. I probably got more details out of him in ten minutes, than I've gotten directly from _you_ in years." He finished with a serious edge. After a couple of beats of silence, he went on. "He told me about this Spring Kat, about your big retirement send off. Were you even planning on telling me about what happened in Dayton? Is that why you wanted me to come to start with?"

"Partially." Katherine said quietly. "I'm sorry you found out that way Brandon. You've got to believe that I was going to tell you."

"I _have_ to believe that? That's more difficult than it sounds. I mean, this wasn't just your average case that you might mention when you came back home for a visit. You were kidnapped Kat." He said more sharply. "Are you going to try and tell me that it wasn't a big deal?"

She shook her head at him. "No, it was a huge deal. My partner and I were in the worst trouble we've ever been in. Greg almost didn't even make it."

Brandon's gaze then turned to linger on Karina for a minute. "When did you find out?"

"A few hours after they'd been taken." She answered honestly.

"But I was going to tell you Brandon." Katherine added swiftly. "I just wanted to do it the right way."

"I think the _right _way would have been sharing something about two months ago. Kat, I get that there are certain aspects of your job that had to remain secretive, but this..." He hesitated for a moment, and the plunged forward. "You looked me in the eye, and you promised me it wouldn't be like this. Do you remember? When I came to see you in the hospital, that week after Thanksgiving when you'd been attacked by Terelli's people? You came clean about being injured in the United Nations bombing, and you told me you didn't want to keep these secrets anymore. So what, you had a change of heart?"

"This has been very difficult. I never wanted to hide anything from you, I never wanted you to worry." She replied slowly.

"Don't give me that!" He snapped angrily. "I'm so sick of that line Kat, I'm sick of this whole thing! I came to New York this time hoping to stay, thinking that maybe I'd have a chance of being a part of this family again. Now I'm starting to wonder if that was a mistake."

"It wasn't a mistake, we were going to tell you Brandon. We're going to tell you _everything_." Katherine emphasized.

"Everything?" He echoed. "There's something very frightening about that word all of the sudden."

"Brandon, when I first got here and found out that there were certain things Kat had been keeping from us, I was angry too." Karina spoke up. "But it wasn't done to hurt anyone. Things are much more complicated than they seem to be on the surface."

"What's complicated about telling me the truth?" He demanded, hating the look his sisters exchanged again. "Stop doing that!" He ordered tersely. "I feel like enough of an outsider as it is!"

"The truth shouldn't be complicated Bran, but it is." Katherine replied. "Because it doesn't involve just me or my partner, or even Karina. There's something a lot bigger than us going on here, and it forces us to be...protective."

"Protective of who Katherine? Is this about guarding me, or someone else?"

Katherine resisted the urge to look at Karina again. "It goes back to the United Nations. That night I met someone...a few someones', and it completely changed my life."

"I know about Luke already, so--"

"This isn't about him." Katherine cut him off, and took a nervous breath before continuing. "I tried to help a group inside that building, and in the end we had to work together to escape. My contact with them could have ended there, would have ended if it weren't for Luke. The truth is, I wasn't supposed to see those guys, no one was. They were there on a specific mission to rescue someone, and it caused them to risk everything, while also attempting to avoid discovery.

When I got out of the hospital I tracked down Luke first, and tried to coerce him into getting me another meeting with them. It wouldn't have worked, but when they found out that I was...threatening him, for lack of a better term, they revealed themselves to me on their own."

Brandon had patiently listened to the story, though he didn't understand why. When she paused, he motioned for her to go on.

"They were the ones who actually saved us from Terelli...the same ones who rescued Luke from Morello's people last year. And they put themselves in serious danger again a couple months ago, to come help Greg and I in Dayton. They're not connected to the FBI, or to any government agency for that matter. They play a similar role to vigilantes, operating outside of the law, but not against it."

"And Karina? When did you come into the picture? How long have you known?" Brandon had to ask.

"I stumbled onto them by mistake, the first day that I was back in New York." Karina said meekly.

"So you've known about nine months." Brandon filled in, and then looked back and forth between them again. "I don't understand why you couldn't just tell me any of this _before_."

"We'd always planned to Brandon, but there's more to it." Katherine told him. "They're extremely vulnerable to being discovered by the wrong people, so it's made it very difficult to talk about them to anyone."

"Let me get this straight. It seems like I'm the only one in this family that still has an honest bone in my body, and you're worried about being able to trust_ me_? Now that's rich."

"We're trying to tell you_ now_." Katherine said pointedly. "It's like Karina said. It's a lot more complicated than you would think from first glance."

"Look, don't worry about it, okay?" He proclaimed, getting suddenly back to his feet. "You don't need to be concerned about trusting me, because I don't need to know. Solves that problem. If you'll excuse me, I know my own way out."

As he was walking out the front door, Karine threw a harried glance at Katherine. "Are we just going to let him walk away?"

"Kari, he's too angry right now. We're not going to get anywhere with him in this frame of mind." Katherine said emotionally.

"Not if we don't_ try_!" Karina stated, and promptly ran after him.

He was down the front walk by the time she ran outside, and jogged to meet him. "Brandon, wait! Don't go like this. I know you're angry, you have every right to be. But not telling you about the kidnapping was my decision, I made that call on my own!"

Brandon's attention was on the street, scanning for a taxi.

"Won't you say something?" The woman pursued him.

"About what Karina? What's the point of talking?"

"Trusting you isn't the issue." She said firmly.

"It always _has _been the issue as far as you're concerned Karina! You didn't tell me when Mom's studio got into trouble. You wouldn't tell me when you reconnected with our bastard poor excuse of a father, or even when he snaked the studio right out from underneath you, and disappeared!" Brandon shook his head, before returning his attention completely to the street. "I don't even know who you are, and I'm not sure that I want to anymore."


	14. Unrest

_Deep breath in...and out._

The blue-banded turtle repeated the action several times, trying to allow the calm to penetrate every part of him. It had been harder today than usual, for some reason that he couldn't put a finger on. Michelangelo was even _behaving_ himself beside him. There was still a lingering unrest in the back of his mind, in addition to the nerves that had kicked up when Karina had rushed out of the Den earlier to get to Chelsea Square.

He'd invited Raphael to join him and Mike, but the red-banded turtle hadn't been biting at the time. Leonardo suddenly realized his mind was drifting again, while he was _supposed_ to be focusing. He felt as if he were standing on the very brink of his goal, but something was preventing him from letting go completely.

After a couple more minutes of breathing, he finally opened dark eyes to take in the rest of the room again. His youngest brother was still sitting cross-legged beside him, obviously deep in concentration. The sound of a slam a couple of doors down from them caused his blue eyes to startle open with a jolt.

"So much for inner peace." The orange-masked turtle told Leonardo with a grin.

"How do the ribs feel?" Leonardo asked him.

"They're good, that really takes care of a lot of the tightness. But it _wasn't_ easy Leo. It's probably just me, but it felt kinda strained, like I was fighting against something the entire time." Michelangelo admitted.

"It wasn't just you." Leonardo told him. "I was having a hard time too. Things haven't been completely settled since Friday night, but something's kicked up stronger since. I don't know if it's just anxiety because of Brandon, or something else. I think I want to check on Raph again, just to be sure."

Before the blue-banded turtle could get to his feet however, his phone vibrated. He recognized the number, and quickly answered it.

"Hey Marc. What's up?"

"Um...well...I came home for lunch today. You know that I do that sometimes, nothing unusual about that, right? I mean, not every day of course but--" Marcus was rambling, something he literally only did when he was extremely nervous.

"Marcus, what's wrong?" Leonardo asked automatically.

"Does the name Nicholas Sharp mean anything to you?"

The turtle's heart unconsciously skipped a beat. "Yeah Marc...he was Stolle's mini tech helper on their last venture that almost wiped us out. Why are you asking about him?"

"Because he called me from lock-up."

"How the _shell_ did he call you Marcus? I thought you were supposed to have gotten your phone number changed!"

"I hadn't gotten around to it." The man replied meekly on the other end.

"What did he say to you? What did he want?"

"He asked me to come see him, he wouldn't say what it was about. Some kind of message that he couldn't give me over the phone."

"And what did you tell him?"

"I didn't really give him an answer Leo. I thought about blowing him off, but there was something in his voice..."

"Marc, you're not seriously considering this."

"I am actually. He's in jail Leo, what's the worst thing he could do to me?"

"I don't think it's a good idea, you ought talk to Kat or Tim, see what they say. Something tells me they're going to side with me on this one."

"That sounds reasonable. I wanted to check in with Tim and how things are going with Calley anyway. I'll drop by her floor when I get back to St. Joseph's."

"And Marcus?" Leonardo spoke up before he could hang up the phone.

"Yeah Leo?"

"Get your dang number changed."

A curious Michelangelo was eyeing him when he hung up the phone. "What's that about?"

"That stupid kid from Dayton is bugging Marc." Leonardo said under his breath.

Before he could go on, the door to the practice room was lightly pushed open to reveal Donatello and Jenna in the hallway.

"Hey Fearless?" Donatello said quietly. "I think we have a little problem. You guys wanna come out here for a minute?"

Without a word Leonardo rose to follow him, and Michelangelo trailed slightly behind him back out into the living area. Raphael was sitting in one of the chairs, rocking back and forth a little as if he didn't know what to do with himself.

"Raph?" Leonardo said questioningly. "What's the matter bro?"

"I knew it couldn't be easy." The turtle mumbled in return. "I just _knew _it."

"What are you talking about?" Leonardo pressed gently.

"Brandon." Donatello filled in for him. "Karina came back...it didn't go well."

"Aw shell." Mike was the first to respond. "Like_ how _not well? Do we need to quickly relocate?"

"Not in that manner Mikey, they didn't have the chance to get into physiology with him." Jenna answered. "Through a chance meeting with Kat's old Director, he learned some details that the girls hadn't told him yet. He was already angry when he got there today. They started telling him the truth about everything, but barely got half-way into it before he walked out. Karina's really upset."

"She's back in her room, and I don't know what to do." Raphael murmured. "Whether I should leave her alone, if I should go to her, or what she wants..."

Leonardo came down to his brother's level. "Raph, if she really wanted to be alone, she probably wouldn't have come back here at all. If you're looking for a suggestion, I think you ought go talk to her."

The blue-banded turtle looked back over his shoulder at Jenna. "You've got the girl brain Jen. What do you think?"

She nodded. "There's plenty of other places she could have holed up. Go talk to her Raph."

The red-banded turtle heaved a deep breath as he headed down the hallway, to the room that Karina had been using since she moved in months ago. He knocked quietly, but when he didn't get a response, pushed the door open a bit. "Kari?" He ventured. "Can I come in?"

The young woman didn't answer him; she was buried face down in her pillow on the bed. Raphael came further inside, feeling very much like he was intruding on her personal space.

"I'm here Kari, just in case you don't wanna be alone. I'll leave if you want, all you gotta do is say so."

The woman lifted her head slightly, tears still streaming down her face. "He doesn't want anything to do with me." She wavered. "I've held back too many times...he'll never be able to trust me again."

Inwardly, the temptation for Raphael was to feel relieved at the opportunity to not be forced to explain his existence or his relationship with Karina to the human man. But a much stronger sense of regret was tugging on his mind, urging him to try and help her make this right.

"Karina, all families fight. People get mad at each other. But it's a lot harder to _stay _mad when you're all each other's got, I know that from personal experience." Raphael told her softly.

"This isn't normal mad Raph." She countered. "And it isn't just about one thing or another. We have a history - _I _have a history of hiding things from him, of not being truthful. Now it's catching up to me, and I have no one to blame but myself." She said ruefully. "It was so stupid of me to get involved with my father again. There are days when...I swear if I could find that man..."

"Brandon wouldn't be this mad if he didn't love you Kari. He probably just needs some time to sort through everything. It doesn't mean he's not coming back."

"What if he doesn't? What if that's really it, and he's not willing to let me back in? I've tried putting myself in his shoes Raph, and I can't begin to imagine how this must feel for him. I would give anything to go back, and be honest with him from the start."

"It's no good to think stuff like that." Raphael told her. "Y'can't change the past. But that doesn't have to mean that the future is completely ruined either. Don't give up on him Karina. Just let him have his space, let him calm down. If he's _anything_ like me, the blow up is the worst part. It's all downhill from there."

The red-banded turtle sat down on the bed next to her, softly taking her chin in his hand. "It's gonna be okay, I promise you. It is. Everything will work out somehow. He came all this way, left behind his whole life in California to build a new one that's closer to you. Someone who does that isn't somebody who gives up easily."

"We hurt him Raph. I've never seen that kind of look in his eyes before. And the way he talked about our father, it was it all happened just yesterday."

"Memories can rear their ugly heads at the worst possible time Karina." The red-banded turtle said. "But if he was really that angry just about the thing with your dad, he wouldn't have come to start with, right? He'll come around. I've never had a real sister to know the difference myself, but I'm guessing it could be pretty hard to walk away from them."


	15. Akiudo

Greg Heffernan had gotten Tim's message from the night before, and taken the initiative to leave ahead of the rest of the FBI task force to get back to New York City. He was only running on about three hours of sleep, but felt that nothing was more important than getting home right that second. He'd tried to call Katherine when he got into town, but the woman's phone had gone immediately to voice-mail.

Non-plussed, he left her a message, and headed straight for St. Joseph's instead. He was within a couple of blocks of the hospital when he decided to try Luke, and got the doctor on the second ring.

"Hey Luke, where are you right now? I'm almost to the hospital, and I was hoping someone could give me a little direction."

"You're back already? We're on the fourth floor, I'm still here too. It was a long night, but Calley is much more stable now."

"Man, I can't imagine what must be going through Tim's head right now. He's got to be just about out of his mind." Greg remarked. "I'll be there soon, okay?"

"I'll meet you at the elevators, just come on up."

* * *

The two men waited outside the hospital room together, knowing that Tim would have to be coming out soon. There were still a number of tests that the doctors needed to run before they could attempt to start the young woman on methadane to help with withdrawal. They would have to kick Timothy out before they could continue their own work with Calley.

Tim gave Greg a weary smile when he saw the man, greeting him with a one-armed embrace. "It's good to see you Heff." He told him, reverting to the turtle's persistent nickname for the man. "You didn't have to run right over here though. How much sleep have you had?"

"Enough. So what's the story with your girl, huh?"

"She lost a lot of blood last night, came very close to disaster." Tim said quietly. "She did come around this morning, managed to recognize me, so that was a relief. But her mind isn't...it's not completely there. She's in pretty bad withdrawal, the doctors said she had a high concentration of heroin still in her system."

"Ouch. Sorry to hear that." Greg said morosely. "Are they going to be able to treat her here?"

"That's the next step. If her kidneys and liver pass the right tests, they'll start her on methadane to um...ease the transition."

"How are you holding up? This has to be pretty intense for you." Greg said evenly.

"I'm okay. Last night was rough, not being able to see her. And when she came around today, it was the only time she seemed actually aware of me. She's very frightened, very anxious. But she's alive, and I don't know what else I could ask for right now, except that she wouldn't have to suffer. I hardly want to imagine what she's been through. The doctors said...there's evidence of abuse, physical and probably sexual..." Tim cut off as his voice broke a little. "I can hardly even say that."

"We don't need to talk about that." Greg said briskly. "I'm happy for you Tim, I'm glad she beat the odds. She's lucky that she has you to fall back on. Now her Mom...where is she?"

Timothy shook his head with a grunt of frustration. "I lost track of her completely six years ago. She's somewhere in Europe, at least, she was the last time that we talked. Her own flesh and blood was missing and possibly dead, but even that wasn't enough to bring her home. It's amazing how people can change. I never would have thought that Sharon...well, I'd rather not waste any more breath on _her_ either."

Marcus started with surprise when he walked up behind the men, and noticed that Greg was with them. "Hey. Gang's all here." He said with a smile. "Nice to have you back Greg."

"It's nice to _be _back, especially considering that my field trips are going to become few and far between now." Greg replied, as Marcus sat down among them.

"Are they kicking into the more serious tests?" Marcus asked Tim.

"Yeah, they're in full swing now."

"So you've got a few minutes to talk." Marc suggested.

"Sure, you could say that. What about Marc?"

"I got a phone call earlier, when I was back in my apartment. That kid, Nicholas Sharp?"

All three of the other men turned to stare at him.

"How did _he_ get your number? You never changed it, did you?" Timothy demanded.

"It just didn't seem as important, with everybody dead or locked up." Marcus said honestly.

"The thing about people being put away, is that a lot of them eventually get out Marcus!" Greg cut in. "What did he want from you?"

"He wants me to come see him, he said there was a message."

"Right, that's happening." Greg said sarcastically.

"This'll sound weird, but I was thinking about just going. I mean, it's not like he can hurt me from where he is."

"Marc, you can't be serious!" Luke protested. "You don't need to get mixed up with any of those people, not for anything."

"Guys, he sounded really weird...and desperate."

Timothy stood up resolutely. "You're not going Marc, but I will. I'm going to get to the bottom of this, and you're changing your number. _Today_."

Greg got up at once too. "I should go with you. Having the FBI presence should be enough to warrant getting the camera turned off, considering he's connected to a classified investigation anyway."

"Whatever you guys think is best. I wouldn't say you have to go immediately." Marcus replied.

"I'd rather talk to this punk, and just get it over with." Tim muttered, and glanced over at Greg. "You mind driving?"

* * *

Both men had made their way to the detention center less than forty minutes later, and Greg's badge had provided them with the necessary privacy and access to the prisoner that they needed. Greg set up his laptop outside of the interview room, and smiled up at Tim.

"Now, this is a game that James and I have often played together. She does the talking inside, and I do the research out here. You've been involved in plenty of interrogations, so I'm sure not going to tell you what to say to him. I'll be out here, trying to verify or refute any 'information' that he has to share with you."

"Cameras are off?"

"I have that assurance."

"Wish me luck then." Tim said stoically, and entered the room where Nicholas was already waiting for him.

The young man had never seen Marcus Sloan in person before, but he was fairly certain that the man entering the room was _not_ the doctor. Everything about the way he carried himself screamed "cop".

"Who are you?" Nicholas asked bluntly.

"I'm your worst nightmare, if you don't tell me why you're bothering Marcus Sloan."

"That business is between me and him." Nicholas proclaimed, as Tim took in the full sight of him.

The young man appeared to have taken some kind of a recent beating, and still bore the fresh wounds to prove it.

"I'm _making_ it my business Mr. Sharp, and I'm not leaving here until you tell me why you called him."

"Look man, I know my rights. I don't have to say anything to you. My message is for Marcus alone. You're wasting your time trying to get to me."

The resounding bang of Tim's clenched fists on the table made the already skittish young man struggle against the irons his hands were still clasped in.

"I don't have much patience today Nicholas, but I'm going to ask you again. What do you want with Marcus Sloan?"

"The message is for _him_." He repeated, a little more weakly this time. "I'm only trying to warn them."

"You're trying to warn _who_?" Timothy demanded.

Nicholas hesitated for a long moment, trembling as if overcome by fear. Tim noticed that his gaze kept returning to the mounted camera.

"It's off," The man informed him. "Your case is classified. Now let's try this again. Who are you trying to warn? Marcus?"

"His friends." Nicholas replied, a little strained still. "They're after them."

"You're gonna have to be a little more specific."

"I can't! Just...just tell Marcus someone's after them."

"Who is them?"

"He'll know what I'm talking about!"

"How are they supposed to protect themselves, if they don't know what's coming against them?"

Nicholas bent low over the table, resting his forehead on top of it. "The Akiudo are looking for them."

"The who?"

"I'm not saying it again man! Just back off, let me get back to my cell."

Timothy rose from his chair. "Sit tight. I'll be back in a little bit."

* * *

Ten minutes of research had yielded some results for Greg, which he shared with Tim who'd came out of the room to wait.

"Akiudo is a term referring to a Japanese group, with some kind of a base out of Okinawa. They cover as being traders, but the literal nature of their dealings is a bit more unsavory. They have an extensive history of human trafficking throughout Asia. There's a lot of information concerning their activity overseas, but I haven't been able to find a solitary shred of documented evidence that confirms a presence here in the US."

"I think we _do_ have confirmation now Greg. Friday night, the thing with the guys? You heard about it, didn't you?"

"Raph gave me the run down. The timing of all this is a little coincidental too. Can you go back in there, play dumb with Nicholas a little bit? See if he knows anything else useful."

"Will do partner."

* * *

"When can I go?" Nicholas asked.

"When you start being up front with me. There's not a single piece of evidence to support your claim about the Akiudo existing inside the continental United States."

Nicholas swore at the man angrily. "You dumb cops are all the same. Won't believe in something until it tries to tear your head off."

"Myths and urban legends abound on our streets. You can't go around believing everything you hear."

"The Phantoms are supposedly an urban legend too, doesn't mean they're not real." The young man said a little dangerously.

Timothy was on his feet in a split second, crushing Nicholas against the wall. The young man's eyes got wider, but he was surprisingly not as terrified as he should have been.

"I_ knew _it was you!" Nicholas exclaimed. "All that bull you talked about people being able to change - you didn't actually believe a word of it, did you?"

Timothy remembered the conversation he'd had with Nicholas before leaving him in Dayton, from behind the safety of a mask to conceal his own identity as was their practice. It appeared his own voice and manner had given himself away. Right now, he honestly didn't care about it anymore.

"You keep your mouth SHUT about them - do you hear me? Or I'll have you put somewhere so far away, you won't even get to see the light of day!"

"I'm TRYING to warn them!" Nicholas cried in frustration. "Do you think I'd look like this if I'd talked to them? And if I _had _talked, why would I let you know about it?"

Timothy's grip on his shoulders instantly lessened somewhat. The kid had a point.


	16. Desire

"It's almost hard to believe that slavers still exist in the world today, let alone that they've taken up residence." Leonardo said, with a probing look that indicated he was thinking about more than he was actually saying.

"They're legitimate Leo, and despite the fact that we have no record of them making the jump...it's pretty hard to argue with, considering Friday night." Greg replied to him.

After leaving the detention center, Greg had driven Timothy back to the hospital, and then the man had swiftly made his own way underground to talk to the brothers about what Nicholas has passed on.

"So what brought on _his_ change of heart?" Raphael muttered a little darkly. "He told us what we wanted him to before, but that was only after being threatened. Why would he bother tracking us down for this?"

"I think it's a combination of things Raph. He said that something Tim said stuck with him, and then the way you guys left things in Dayton...It spoke volumes to him."

"How we left things?" Leonardo repeated. "You mean because we didn't kill anyone?"

"_You_ didn't kill anyone." Donatello reminded him.

"Williams doesn't count in this instance. I'm talking about after we got control of the place." Leonardo answered.

Greg nodded at the four turtles. "Three of you were treated pretty mercilessly at their hands. I think they expected to be seriously in for it when you got loose...in any case, I think you left an impression on him. And I know he appreciated being separated from the other men so that they couldn't hurt him. It was probably those same men who turned the Akiudo onto him in the first place."

"_Because_ he opened his mouth for us." Raphael pointed out. "It's still kind of surprising that he'd make this kind of effort."

"I guess that means we'll have to start believing in miracles." Michelangelo grinned.

"The real question is, what now?" Donny spoke up. "We know theoretically what they do, and that they're looking for us. What's our next course of action Leonardo? I'm assuming we were going to be hitting the streets hard to look for them anyway."

None of the brothers had really voiced any thoughts concerning a combined effort to comb the city yet, even though it had been in the back of everyone's minds for the last couple of days.

"I think that we need to be considering our own vulnerabilities at the moment." Leonardo said. "It didn't take them very long to connect the Phantom stories, or to track down Nicholas. It was actually only _Stolle's_ people that knew how to get to us directly through Luke. Those new men that Lilah brought on board when she joined him, they didn't have the intimate information they would have needed to find us, not even Nicholas. He probably couldn't have told them what they wanted to know, with the exception of Marc's name.

Now that Stolle, Williams, and Lewis are out of the way, it reduces that threat considerably. There are still remnants of Morello's old men who know about Luke as well, but those guys have been scattered to the wind throughout the prison system. Nicholas would have been an easier target since he hasn't been through his trial or actually entered the system yet. And the normal idiots we run into on the streets don't have any information that could necessarily help them to find us."

"But they're gonna keep looking for us." Raphael said. "It seems like it'd be better if we found _them_ first. Then there's those girls to consider too Fearless. If they're selling 'em off like cattle, they probably don't hold onto them very long. It'd cut into their profits."

"We know their game, it seems like we should be able to catch them in the act again." Mike suggested.

"Yes, but the problem is going to be tracking them down. I think it's unlikely that they'd use that same club again. They have to assume that it's been compromised." Leonardo said slowly. "And honestly...that club is the only thing we have to go on."

"Don't forget that you're not walking into this completely blind." Greg told them. "Just because there's nothing in the local database on them, doesn't mean I can't start some more in-depth research of my own, see if I can find out who their big fish are. If I can be so bold as to attempt to tell you what to do...I would say to search with extreme caution. You don't know how many of them there are, or how close by they could be. I'm going to make sure that Luke is running every ounce of increased security that you set up for him months ago Donny. Chances are slim that they'll find an informant to lead them there, but it's happened before, so..."

Michelangelo sighed heavily. "This is never going to stop, is it? You guys are _always_ going to end up being target number one when it comes to the bad guys trying to track us down."

Greg shook his head at him. "That's the risk we take Mike...I don't see that we have much choice in the matter."

"You've got a choice, just not an easy one." The orange-masked turtle muttered in return, and turned his back to leave the room.

Donny's knee jerk reaction was to follow him, but his brother's pointed glance over his shoulder warned him not to, for a change.

"He doesn't really expect any of us to cut ties with you, does he?" Greg ventured when he'd gone.

"No," Donatello answered. "He just hates watching you guys suffer, or be put at risk because of us. This is a long-standing issue for him. None of us like it, but he's been taking it harder, especially over the last couple of years. He's afraid..." Donny faltered for a few seconds. "He's afraid that our relationships are going to be the death of someone. He wouldn't push you guys away for anything, but it weighs him down pretty heavily sometimes."

* * *

A worn out Timothy was partially dozing in a chair inside of Calley's hospital room, relieved to have found that the young woman seemed to be resting comfortably upon his return. He had settled in to wait for the remainder of the test results, which came in sooner than he'd expected them to. Apparently her earlier agitated state had lit a fire under someone in the lab.

The screens on her liver and kidneys came back clean, so he was able to authorize their use of methadane to be set up as an injection for her. He slept a little more soundly after that, feeling some of the burden immediately lift upon realizing that she was getting the intervention she needed to help her. He was just on the verge of a dream, when a strangled sound called him back to reality, and then to the fact that Calley was having a serious issue of some kind.

Timothy bolted upright as she struggled to take a decent breath, and then froze at the sight of her swollen lips. Her skin was flushed in a manner that was completely the opposite to the pallor she'd had only hours earlier. He immediately grabbed one of her hands, as she tried to gasp something out loud. And all of the sudden, it clicked.

The man instantly let go of her and raced to the hallway, not even bothering with the call button. "Nurse - NURSE, I need some help! I need somebody in here right now!"

Staff were quick to respond, and he was shouldered out of the room less than two minutes later. Timothy rubbed weary eyes as he perched on the very edge of a chair, waiting once more. His other hand fingered his cell-phone. He'd sent Luke back to his wife and Marcus home to his apartment hours earlier. The last thing he wanted was for them to come running back down here again. So he waited alone, constantly peering back toward the hall to see if anyone was coming.

He finally saw the desired motion from someone, and stood up as the now familiar Dr. Stickelman came toward him.

"How is she, what's going on?" Tim asked at once.

"She suffered severe swelling of her bronchial passages, and another bad dip in her blood pressure. It looks like anaphlaxis, most likely related to the methadane, considering the timing of it."

"What does that mean, that she's allergic to it?"

"It's not a common reaction, but that appears to be her case."

"What are you doing with her? What's going to happen?"

"We gave her epinephrine for the moment, and we'll suspend further use of the injections. It's going to be necessary to run some more tests." The doctor told him.

Timothy sighed heavily. "Are there other treatment options?"

Stickelman nodded. "There are numerous routes that we can take, I just want to proceed carefully because of this reaction."

"You're the doctor." Tim said helplessly.

* * *

It had already been a day from hell as far as Calley was concerned, based solely on the torment her body was going through. Adding in the shock on top of it tonight only seemed to heighten her longing for the rush that would actually satisfy her. She was tired of the doctors' hands, tired of being prodded and tested already. She needed the drug or she needed to sleep -_ some _escape was necessary, before she absolutely lost her mind.

It was a small relief as swelling dissipated, but now every single nurse or orderly that came near her with an instrument of any kind was being an instant threat. She couldn't understand what was really happening to her. All she knew was that these people were taking a bad situation, and potentially only making it worse.

She didn't particularly trust any of the help they had to give, and the overwhelming desire to flee from the room entirely had returned, just as strongly as it had existed when she first woke up to begin with that morning. They couldn't help her - she knew that now. Nothing they would give her would be able to meet the driving need, She had to get it somehow, had to find a way to escape from them, and all of their useless efforts.

Calley attempted to focus her mind, so that she could consider the old sources she'd used in the past. But heroin cost money, and that would mean yet more delay as she would have to go through theft first, in order to get the payment that would be required from her. In the dark recesses of her hazy mind, the other option quietly occurred to her.

Shirou always had it, and had never taken a dime from her in return. The rational fear of returning to him was presently losing out to the insatiable desire that was clawing her mind. Nothing seemed to be more important than getting it.


	17. Sane

The red-banded turtle whimpered unconsciously in his sleep, as a now familiar burn surged through his shoulder, and coursed over the entire length of his arm. Raphael forced amber eyes open, a shaky breath escaping as he wrenched the limb to try and stop the reaction. He sat up slowly as the burn faded, and swiped beads of sweat off of his forehead.

He was wide awake now, and not likely to fall back asleep any time soon. The turtle glanced at the time on his cell-phone, and swore out loud. It was just after 4am, and he had a feeling that he'd probably gotten all the sleep that he was going to. Raphael shifted over to the edge of the bed and hesitated there for a few seconds, one finger lightly tracing the scar on his temple.

This had gotten pretty old over the last couple of months. Sometimes the pain was accompanied by visions of things that he couldn't verify were real or fantasies. As much as he hated these late-night interruptions, not being able to decipher the difference between what was fact or fiction somehow made it worse. It was a very frustrating feeling all around.

He couldn't help but wonder if any of the other increased stress could be contributing to the fact that he hadn't slept through an entire night in more than a month. The red-banded turtle had even used extremely low doses of Donatello's own design of a sedative, but his brother would only give it to him sparingly. What that translated into was usually a couple of hours of tossing and turning, depending on what time he woke up. This close to morning, there was honestly no point in fighting it.

Even with the months that had passed since his memory had returned, nights like this still made him acutely aware of how things still didn't feel completely normal inside. The most irritating part was that the man was _dead_, yet he was still suffering effects of the experience from hell that he couldn't even remember.

Raphael got to his feet, and walked silently out into the hall. When he gave up sleeping altogether he'd normally seek out another distraction, falling into exercise more often than not. He'd avoided _talking_ about it whenever he could, which wasn't an easy feat considering the close quarters that they all lived in.

As the red-banded turtle came downstairs, the weariness that clung to his limbs discouraged him from turning to the practice room. His eye continued to travel down the hallway to Karina's room, but then he thought better of that too. She needed all her rest, she'd had a hard enough time getting through training the night before with her dancers as it was.

The turtle's gaze then fell on sleeping human that was crashed on their couch. Greg had been there late talking with them, and was encouraged just to stay over since he was already there. A few seconds of staring at the man caused an unexpected shift in the turtle's search for a distraction.

_A little payback could be fun_, he mused inwardly, and quietly wandered into the kitchen. He came back out a minute later, unscrewing the cap of a bottle of chocolate syrup as he walked, and tossed it carelessly aside.

With a partial smile he couldn't contain, he carefully pulled the blanket down off of his sleeping friend, and proceeded to pour syrup over his t-shirt, following up more slowly over the exposed skin on his arms. He snickered softly when the man didn't wake up.

_Guess I have to take it up a notch._

He drizzled the rest of the bottle over the man's sandy-blond head, cracking up completely as Greg finally stirred.

His groggy confusion was immediately apparent, as an attempt to wipe syrup off his forehead only succeeded in making it worse. As Raphael shoved a paper-towel at him, Greg shook his head ruefully.

"Sleep with one eye open - isn't that what Leo always told me? One of these days, I'm gonna have to learn how." He exclaimed as he sat up on the couch, only to discover the rest of the mess. "Aw Raph, can't you give a guy a break?"

"After what you helped do to _me_? Not a chance. This is only the first retaliatory strike 'Mr. Helpless Pawn'." The turtle replied dangerously.

"The first? What else have you got planned?" His friend had to ask, but Raphael's hands were empty.

"Not right now Heff. The rest is still to come."

"Something to look forward to. I knew it'd come back to haunt me, but peer pressure is a powerful thing..." Greg trailed off, as he stripped out of his shirt. "What time is it anyway?"

"Almost 4:30."

"In the morning? What'd you do, set your alarm? Or is this late night ambush like a symptom of some sleep-walking disorder?"

"That would require actually _being_ asleep. This was pretty much just spur of the moment." Raphael shrugged with a grin, but Greg realized what the turtle had actually just communicated to him.

"Stay put, I'll be back in a minute." The man told him, and trotted into the kitchen to rinse off the worst of it.

He didn't want to waste very much time, so he returned to the living area after making only a minimal effort to get chocolate out of his hair. He was still dripping wet, but didn't want to miss the opportunity to catch the turtle before he decided to go off and do something else.

"You still having trouble sleeping Raph?" He asked carefully.

"Sometimes."

"How often is sometimes?" He persisted.

"I don't know Heff. More often than I wanna think about."

"Raph, what do you know about post traumatic stress?"

"You mean like the thing that soldiers get after they've been in a war or something?"

"Some of them do, but they're not the only ones. It can occur because of almost any traumatic event, but kidnapping and torture seem to be among the biggest triggers for it too."

"But it doesn't make any sense. I was dealing with this a little bit earlier this year, but then in just the last couple of months...it like exploded or something."

"That actually _does _make sense Raph. Symptoms can be delayed...and even what we went through in Dayton could be contributing to making it worse now."

"Do you think I'm losing it Heff?" Raphael asked him seriously. "Because sometimes I feel like I am. I can't tell you what's real and what isn't. I don't remember it, so how can I be experiencing stress from it?"

"The memories are still in there, even though you don't have access to them. They still have the power to effect you physically."

"So what am I supposed to do? Do you have to cart me off to the loony bin?"

"You're not crazy Raph. But let me ask you something...about the new bike."

"The one Donny fixed up for me?" The turtle said bleakly.

"Have you taken it out at all?"

"Above the surface you mean?" The turtle asked, only to partially deflect the question.

"You know what I'm asking. Have you been riding?"

"A couple of times underground, to make Donny happy. He really thought I'd want it, and part of me does. But the other part..."

"It's called 'avoidance' Raph. It's just another sign of the syndrome. There are varying degrees of severity, and I really don't think you're off the charts or anything. You haven't had any real strain in relationships with your family for one thing...or with Karina, right?"

"Sometimes, I think they're the only thing keeping me sane...especially her." He finished softly, glancing down in the direction of her room again.

"Do you feel depressed at all?"

The red-banded turtle thought about it for a minute. "I don't know if that's the word to describe it. Detached is more like it, as if there's something wrong with me that I can't possibly figure out. That's why I hate to talk about it."

"The temptation is to remove yourself from others Raph, but it's the last thing you need to do. Symptoms can last for awhile and then subside, or they can stay with you for a long time. We...or I should say _you_ ought talk to the docs about this. There are sometimes medical options--"

"That would work for me?" The turtle interrupted.

"I don't know Raph. But anything's better than you doing it on your own."

* * *

They weren't the only ones not sleeping. Calley had only been pretending to rest for the last several hours herself, doing her best to hide the insomnia so that the unwanted hands wouldn't return. She had been intermittently trying to recall digits, and put them in the correct sequence of the phone number that would be her salvation.

She suddenly heard the sound of a body rustling nearby her, and then of Timothy getting to his feet. In a hushed tone he whispered something into the mouth-piece of the cell-phone that had just vibrated, and then shuffled toward the door. When she heard it click shut, Calley rolled instantly upright on her side facing the bedside table, and grabbed for the receiver of the telephone.

Every ounce of effort in those seconds went into concentration for recalling that number. The first dial was a completely wrong voice-mail, just like the second. But her third attempt was met by a familiar voice on the other end.

"Teishu." She croaked softly.

"Haruko?" Shirou sounded both elated, and relieved at the same time.

"I'm lost, I'm so lost." She murmured. "They hurt me, and I still need it."

"I have it _suki, _I won't keep it from you. Tell me where you are, and I'll come rescue you."

A sense of relief flooded her own senses, as she sat up further. "They took me to a hospital, it's St. Joseph's."

"Are they trying to hold you Haruko? Will they let you leave?"

"Not yet, but my fath--someone else is here." She cut herself off from mentioning Tim. "I'm sure he could help me get out. You're not angry with me?" Calley wavered suddenly. "The baby is dead, like you wanted."

"I'm not angry suki, I want to help you. They're trying to cut you off, and they make the suffering worse, don't they?"

"Y-yes." She tremored violently. "I've got to have it. I've got to."

"Haruko, listen. You have to make them believe that you'll go along with them, it's the only way that you can escape. Can you pull yourself together to convince them of that?"

With a beat of hesitation, she nodded to herself. "I can do it. I know what to say."


	18. Manipulated

Tim left Calley's side again long enough in the morning to get a cup of coffee, and found her sitting up in bed when he returned to the room.

"Hey sweetheart. How did you sleep?"

She shook her head at him. "I didn't really. Dad, how long do I have to stay here? They're not helping me."

"I know last night was scary Calley, but they're doing everything they can. There are other medications that they can try, they just want to do a more thorough battery of tests after your reaction to the methadane." He said gently.

"I don't want to do it this way Dad. These people don't know what it's like, they don't know how I feel. I'm just 'exhibit A' to try all their theories out on. I don't want to stay here."

"Honey, I really think it's the best place for you. It's hard right now, but it's going to get better."

"Under them, I have my doubts." She said faintly.

"The cravings aren't as bad now at least, right? The methadane seemed to be on track, until it all went to pieces."

It was true that some of the physical symptoms had been repressed from the dose she'd had, but it did nothing for the psychological "want" center of her brain, that was still demanding the real thing from her.

"I need your help Dad. I _know_ I need help. I'll go somewhere, I'll detox. But not here, not like this. Please, let me go away. You make the call, and I'll go to rehab." She pleaded with him.

Timothy didn't give her an answer right away, but promised to consider it over the course of the day. In his gut, he still felt like the hospital was the right place for her, and Luke and Marcus agreed with him. _She might not like it for now, but in the long run it would be better for her, I have to believe that, _he reasoned with himself for the tenth time.

But as he was walking back upstairs from a late lunch around 2pm in the afternoon, he was met by a flurry of activity in Calley's hallway, several bodies moving at once. Another familiar doctor was just exiting his daughter's room when Timothy approached.

"Captain Long--"

"What's going on now? I was gone for half an hour. What could possibly have happened in that time?" He demanded of the physician.

"I'm sorry sir, your daughter became very combative. She attempted to assault a nurse, and then the further assistance that arrived. We've had to restrain her for the moment, and I think we need to order a mental health evaluation." He explained briskly.

"What, you mean put her in the psych ward, so you can pump her full of more drugs? _You're_ out of your mind if you think I'll agree to that!" Tim exclaimed angrily. "Don't you people get that she's scared? You have no idea what she's been through, none of us do! I won't agree this to Doctor - I simply won't."

* * *

Less than an hour later, Timothy was sitting down Luke and Marcus, who were both trying to strongly urge him to do the opposite of what he intended to do.

"You told me yesterday that going to face Nicholas on my own wasn't a good plan, and I bowed to your judgement, because that's your specialty." Marcus said slowly. "Now we need you to listen to _us_, because this is what we do, okay? Pulling her out this quickly will not bode well for treatment."

"This can't be the best option for her." Timothy replied. "They're treating her like she's crazy! Why don't they understand that she's traumatized? I haven't had the slightest problem from her on my own since she first came around. These people, I don't have any confidence in them. But you guys get it, you know how it can be. You said that Raph got violent when he came around with his amnesia. That didn't mean he needed a thorazine drip."

"But we _did_ restrain him." Luke pointed out. "For awhile anyway. Nobody wants to hurt her Tim, you've got to believe that."

The man shook his head stoically. "I'm not going this direction with her you guys. She's agreed to go to rehab, and I'd rather send her to a specialized facility, than let her stay one more night in this place."

Luke sighed quietly, and shot Marcus a quick look. "If this is where you want to go, then at least do one thing for us. Get on the internet, get on the phone, do some research of abuse centers. Don't take her out that door until you already have something lined up. You can't let it slide Tim, because if she was a heavy user, the withdrawal is going to come back in full force, and I mean hard core. What you've seen so far is nothing compared to how bad it could get."

"But it's temporary, none of it lasts forever." Tim replied.

"She needs to be in a program - it doesn't end with detox Tim." Marcus spoke up. "We know you'll do right by her. But the time to make the plan is now, before you even go anywhere."

Tim nodded at both of them. "Will you guys help me find a place?"

Luke patted the shoulder bag that bore his laptop. "I thought I'd come prepared."

* * *

Calley's heart was pounding somewhat, as she breathed the free air outside the hospital walls. The process of locating centers and narrowing down choices, as well as getting her physically released from the hospital, ended up taking much longer than she'd expected it to. It was nearly 6pm by the time they got outside, and Tim's first priority with her was getting some of the things that she would be needing.

"You really don't need to go all out tonight." She told him inside the first store, shifting somewhat nervously in her stance as she pondered a rack of clothing.

"I don't want to push you Calley, but we have to get it done. I'm taking you upstate tomorrow, so everything you need to live in, we have to get it tonight." He told her.

They spent a solid two hours pulling together all the basics from the outlet center, before Tim drove them back into the city limits of Manhattan. Calley had been quiet for the most part, not speaking out directly unless he asked her something. Even her gaze right now seemed to be a million miles away, as if she were focused anywhere but on the car that she was riding in.

His hand grazed her shoulder, and she automatically flinched away from it without thinking.

"Sorry." He told her. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm hungry." She said somewhat wistfully.

"Oh...you didn't eat at the hospital, did you? You should have said something sooner, I would have stopped before."

"Would you mind? I haven't had any real food in ages. It'd be so great to actually eat somewhere." The woman suggested, with another purpose in mind altogether.

Timothy didn't need her to convince him. He pulled over to find parking in a restaurant row that he was familiar with, about two miles away from his apartment. The moment they got inside one of the buildings, Calley excused herself to the bathroom, and waited quietly for an opportunity to walk in the door.

She was rewarded after a couple of minutes when a dark-haired teenager around fifteen years old popped in, and Calley lingered by the sinks to wait for her to finish. She didn't have any money to tempt her with, but with any luck...

"I love your jacket." The girl said somewhat shyly, when Calley made eye contact with her.

"Yeah?" Calley said hopefully. "Do you have a cell-phone by any chance?"

The girl looked at her as if that were a fairly obvious question, and held up a pink messenger style phone.

"Let me use that thing for two minutes, and the jacket's yours."

* * *

Calley fidgeted under Timothy's gaze, breaking eye contact with him after a few seconds as they were finishing up at the table.

"Sorry, I'm not trying to stare at you." He apologized. "This just feels pretty surreal to me, sitting across the table from you."

"You live in New York City now?" She asked, what ended up being her first true question for him of the night that was of a conversational nature.

"Yeah, I joined the force in the city, got an apartment...and prayed I'd find you."

"How'd you know I was here?"

"It wasn't that big of a jump hon. You were a Jersey girl, who always longed for the big city." Tim chuckled.

She didn't ask him anything else, and he noticed her gaze flicking back toward the door again.

"You ready to go?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I'm...tired. It's been a long couple of days." She answered.

Tim met with the waitress once more to pay, and they left the restaurant a couple of minutes later. It was only then that he noticed that she didn't have her jacket.

"Did you leave your coat back there?" He asked her.

"What? No, I didn't bring it in."

"I could have sworn you had it on when we got to the restaurant."

"No, I left it in the car."

He shrugged to himself. "Well, it's not too far to walk at least, and only a couple miles to my building from here. Are you feeling better now?"

"I will be soon." She answered, resisting the urge to look over her shoulder.

They came up on the parking lot about five minutes later, and made their way through rows of cars to the back of it. She barely even faltered when she saw a couple of men ahead of her, waiting by Tim's car. Timothy hesitated in his step when _he_ saw them, and laid a hand firmly on Calley's arm to pull her closer to his side.

He drew out his cell-phone and slipped it in her hand, "Hold onto this for me for a minute, okay?"

Then his hand rested lightly on the service weapon at his hip, as he wondered what these guys' deal could be. Timothy held his breath as three figures started moving toward them, tensing as if preparing for action. He jerked his gun out cautiously, but didn't quite raise it on them yet, as he waited to see what they were doing.

His eyes were so fixed on them, that the tip of a blade needling the back of his neck nearly made him jump out of his skin.

"Drop the gun." Someone commanded into his ear, and applied firmer pressure with the point when Tim didn't immediately obey him.

Releasing a sharp breath, he slowly lowered the weapon to the pavement, deliberately grazing the panic button on his watch with the same motion. Then he straightened back up, and pulled Calley closer to him once more, carefully turning around to face the blade wielder. They'd been neatly surrounded by six of the strange men, half of which they hadn't even seen coming.

"Keep your hands in sight." The same man ordered him.

"Take it easy, okay?" Tim stayed calm. "We're alright here, everything's fine. Just tell me what you want."

"You're standing in front of it." Shirou pronounced icily.

Tim glanced over his shoulder at Calley, every fiber of his being instantly balking. Then he turned a steely gaze back on the stranger with the katana. "Over my dead body."

"That is precisely what I had in mind." He replied.


	19. Tracking

"Leo, you guys just need to _go_." Donatello pushed his older brother. "You know Doc hasn't released me to fight, but I can track him for you from here anyway."

The purple-banded turtle was already behind his computer in the Lab, where he'd instantly run to when Timothy didn't answer his phone after setting off his watch.

"You're right, we've wasted enough time." Leonardo agreed, and turned to face the door again. "Guys, we need to go!" He raised his voice decisively toward the others.

Raphael stuck his head in the door, more than a little irritated. "We're set Fearless, I was ready an hour ago!"

"Dude, it went off five _minutes _ago." Michelangelo said from behind him.

"Save it guys." Leonardo told them, and turned one last look at Donatello. "So you'll tell us if he--"

"I already uploaded his coordinates to the GPS in the van, if he moves, I'll let you know!" Donatello interrupted him. "Get out of here!"

As the other three turtles hustled out of the Den, Jenna joined the purple-banded turtle inside of the Lab.

"I talked to Luke, he said that Tim left the hospital with Calley sometime around 6pm. That was the last time that anyone talked to 'im." Jenna said to him.

Donatello sighed anxiously, and looked down at his injured arm a little darkly. "Stupid katana." He muttered under his breath. "He'd better be alright."

* * *

Things weren't going exactly the way that Calley had envisioned in her mind. To be honest, she hadn't really thought past the part where Shirou had promised the fix. Getting her father killed in the process hadn't remotely entered her imagination.

A scream started to escape her as Timothy was forcibly separated from her. Shirou's hand was over her mouth before it could completely get out, and the man spun her around so that he could flatten her against the van that was parked next to Tim's cross-over.

"Did you _miss_ me sureibu? Or have you replaced me already?" He said mockingly, then casting a threatening glance at the man being restrained by the other warriors. He was being gagged by this point as well. "You almost got me killed Haruko. It's lucky for you that you've been so cooperative, or we wouldn't even be having this conversation right now. However, that doesn't mean you have properly learned anything." He said dangerously, as the woman trembled beneath his weight. "You scream, and I'll kill the both of you right here. Not _one_ sound."

His dark eyes bore into her brown ones, daring her to test him in the matter. Calley's breathing quickened faster as he actually pulled his hand away from her mouth, and grabbed ahold of her blond pony-tail, jerking her head fiercely. Shirou rested the flat of his blade against her cheek, grazing the edge smoothly across her hairline. A tremendous gasp escaped her as he raised the blade to strike, but cold steel didn't meet skin as she'd expected. Instead, it sliced neatly through her hair, faster than she could have blinked.

"Who am I sureibu?" He demanded.

"_Teishu_." Her voice quaked.

"You'd better not forget that again, or the next place that my blade touches will not be something that grows back." He warned her firmly, and then gave her a small smile. "I do thank you for the opportunity for some much needed sport."

"No, no Teishu, please." She pleaded. "He has nothing to do with us."

"He stood in my way, and it is my own right to choose what to do with him. You need only be grateful that I show mercy to _you_."

Shirou threw another look over his shoulder, and made a motion with his head for the men to proceed. Weapons were forgotten for the moment, as they moved in on Tim with their bare fists, thoroughly enjoying the thought of putting on a spectacle for Calley to see.

Hot tears rose to the surface as she tried to fight Shirou's grasp again. "Please - let him go! Just take me, take me away from here! You already have me, just let him go!"

"You care about this man sureibu, and yet you led us directly to him. Addiction is a powerful force, isn't it?" Shirou laughed scornfully, as he withdrew a needle from his jacket. "And I have it for you, as promised."

She would be easier to deal with under the influence, and he was just as eager to get his hands on her so called "protector" as the others that were already beating him.

Timothy had been under assault before, but this was different. Each of their blows felt like a concise attack, as opposed to a rain of several hands that could hardly be distinguished from each other. His only desperate thought in that moment was that the others would get there in time, that they'd be able to save Calley where he couldn't.

Shirou had injected her smoothly, a practice that he was well-versed in by now, and pushed her away from him so that she stumbled against the van. Then he dragged her back to her feet as the instant rush surged through her, pleasure center exploding in a frenzy as the heroin hit her blood stream in seconds time. She was limp in his arms as he carried her around the back of the van, and hurled her onto the floor.

He hurriedly turned the key in the door what he _thought_ was far enough, before going to join the others and meet Timothy up close. In the van, Calley's racing heart was already winding down, her breathing automatically dropping off to a slower rate under the power of the narcotic. But despite receiving some of the relief her body so diligently craved, the image of her father and the men beating him was not something she could reconcile with.

Her fingers grasped for his cell-phone, clawing to pull it out of her pocket. Then they trailed weakly over the keypad, searching. Three numbers - it couldn't actually be that hard, right? Calley clenched her eyes shut tightly for a long moment, and dialed each digit deliberately.

"911, what is your emergency?"

She took a shallow breath, as she tried to think of what to say.

"Hello? Is there someone on the line?"

"Help me." She wavered. "My father..."

"Ma'am, we're trying to pin-point the location of your device, just stay on the line with me."

"They'll kill him." She whispered.

"Stay on the line, keep talking to me. Are you injured Ma'am?"

Calley didn't answer, as she forced her way up off the floor of the van, and tried the latch of the back door. She was surprised to feel it give under her grasp.

"Ma'am, are you still there?" The operator called after her. "We're having trouble getting a fix on your device. Can you tell us where you are?"

Calley still made no reply, barely breathing audibly as she got the door open, and almost fell getting out. Her limbs already felt heavy, clumsy to use. The name of the street they were on was completely escaping her, as was the restaurant they'd eaten in only a few minutes ago. She leaned heavily against the back of the van, then peered around the corner of it carefully.

She couldn't see her father now, he was lost somewhere in the pack of warriors on the ground. "They'll kill him." She repeated almost inaudibly into the receiver.

"Miss, we can't trace your phone. Can you tell me what you're nearby?"

Calley only saw the other cars around her, and that wasn't a lot of help. She stole silently away from the van, making small dashes from one car to another, cowering as close to the ground as she was able to, and still move. Phone still clutched to her ear, she ran into the side of a building, now moving in between it and parked cars, steadily making for the street.

"It's a parking lot." She told the operator. "I'm trying to find..." Calley didn't finish the statement, as she emerged a little more slowly into a street light on the other side, and focused hard on a sign. "Oak." She finally said. "That's the street. There's a coffee shop across...and there's a bar...Louie's?"

Calley heard a shout that distinctly sounded like Shirou, and spun around so fast that she almost dropped the phone. "I'm sorry," She strained a little dizzily. "I can't..."

She slapped the phone shut, and forced her legs into motion, without the courage to look back. There was a pack of pedestrians only a few paces away from her, and hurried as fast as heavy limbs would allow to get lost in them. She knew she wouldn't be able to make it far under the influence, but she also knew that Shirou had to have noticed that she was gone. Calley had no choice but to try.

* * *

"We're almost there Donny, has something changed?" Leonardo asked over the phone, that had only just rung a few seconds prior.

"Uh....sort of." Donatello replied. "I was tracking both the signal of his watch and his phone simultaneously. The watch is still stationary, same starting position Leo. But his phone is moving, traveling east down Oak as I speak."

"Shell." The blue-banded turtle said to himself.

"What?" Raphael asked from the driver's seat. "Don't give me bad news."

"His signal has split off in two directions." Leonardo told the red-banded turtle. "It could mean he left his watch behind, it could mean someone else has his phone. It could mean anything!"

The blue-banded turtle paused to compose himself, and threw another look at Raphael. "Let me out." He said after a second.

"What?" His brother was appropriately confused.

"Let me out Raph, we can't chance this. We're going to have to split up. You and Mike take his watch, and I'll follow the phone. You can still feed me the coordinates, right Donny?" Leonardo finally addressed his brother on the phone again.

"Yeah, but is it a good idea to--"

"No time Don! Just stay on it, and keep on the phone with me. I'm going to need your help to get anywhere near it."


	20. Ledge

One of the warriors straightened up from Timothy's unconscious side, as he located an object that was of particular interest to him. "Kaito! He carries a shield!" The man exclaimed, holding up Tim's badge.

The one he'd addressed nudged the man's side with his foot. "Police? That's not good. Shirou is a dead man for sure this time. Even if he finds that girl, they will not be pleased with this."

"Do we finish it now?" Akio wondered aloud.

But Kaito was not paying the other man any heed at the moment, his own head held erect as he appeared to be listening. "Someone's coming!" He hissed after a moment. "Get rid of him, hide the body now!"

Kenji was the one closest to him presently, and searched rapidly for the man's keys to the cross-over. "Are we just going to leave him?" He asked as he unlocked the doors.

"We don't have the authorization to kill him - we didn't have authorization from Takashi for _any _of it!" Kaito said emotionlessly, as two of the others dragged the man off the pavement, and yanked him in the direction of his own car. "We have to disappear!"

"What about Shirou?" Akio asked.

"Shirou can worry about Shirou. Now move!" Kaito ordered, and the five men piled swiftly back inside of their own van.

It was backed out of the space, and turned to leave the row as two separate pairings of men and women were only just returning to pick up their own vehicles.

* * *

Raphael and Michelangelo jogged up to the back of the parking lot, roughly six minutes after the van left. They immediately began scanning over the rows of cars, searching for any sign they could find of Timothy. The red-banded turtle's blood was very close to a boiling point, so that he was nearly grinding his teeth as they were forced to keep looking. It was Michelangelo who noticed what looked like Timothy's cross-over, on their second trip around the lot.

"Wait Raph, that's it, isn't it?" The orange-masked turtle urged him to look.

With another glance to make sure no one was sitting in the nearby cars, both turtles made for the vehicle. As they came up on it, Mike stooped to pick up a set of fallen keys, and peered hard at the remote that was attached to it.

"Are those his Mikey?" Raphael asked him.

He experimentally pressed the button to unlock the doors, and nodded when the sound emitted from the nearby car. Raphael took another step toward it first, not actually expecting to find anyone inside. The driver and front passenger side were clear, but a closer examination of the back seat made the red-banded turtle bolt for the door.

Raphael's heart dropped out of his chest when he laid eyes on the human, but he immediately scrambled underneath the door to check if he was breathing.

"Is it him? Did you find..." Michelangelo stopped as he came around the other side.

Tears instantly hit him as he bent over the seat too, forcing a closer look at the injured man.

"He's got a pulse Mike." Raphael tried to sound reassuring to his younger brother, despite how shaken he felt at finding their friend that way. "And he's wearing his watch."

"So somebody's running around with his phone."

Raphael was fingering his own at that moment, considering the situation. "I'm gonna call Leo."

* * *

"Hey Donny, just hang on a second, okay? Raph's trying to get me on the other line." Leonardo told his brother, and then paused in his stride on the roof to switch back over. "Yeah Raph? Did you find anything back there?"

"We've got Tim Leo, but no sign of his kid. He's in bad shape, and I mean _bad_. We were too late, whoever did this was gone before we got here."

Leonardo winced angrily, as he clenched a fist against the scaffolding on top of the building. "Donny's still helping me follow his phone, but I was thinking--"

Raphael's gasp interrupted him before he could finish. "Aw shell, we've got cops already!"

"Did you guys call them?"

"No Fearless, we hadn't even gotten that far."

"See if there's some way that you can alert them to Tim's presence, but get yourselves out of there too Raph!"

"We'll come after you on the ground with the van!"

"Do that, and call the others when you get to a safe place."

Raphael backed quickly out of the cross-over, and dropped onto the pavement next to his youngest brother.

"We need to tip them off to Tim somehow, without getting ourselves caught in the process." He told him.

"Raph." Mike said pointedly, and held up the remote to Timothy's car.

"Oh, that's perfect. Hit it Mike, and let's get the heck out of here." The red-banded turtle agreed.

The younger turtle depressed the alarm button on the remote, and hurled the keys back onto the seat. The two of them bolted off into darkness as the alarm sounded, running to get away from the parking lot as fast as they possibly could. The Battle Shell wasn't far.

* * *

Calley had been moving much more slowly for the last two blocks, as the exhausting factor of the drug in her system overwhelmed any hope of further adrenaline. Up ahead she saw someone letting himself into an apartment building, and hurriedly called out to him.

"Hold the door!"

The man laid eyes on the clearly shaken woman, and kept it open so that she could get inside. "Are you alright? Do you need help?"

She shook her head resolutely. No more help, no more hospitals, no more people. There wasn't anyone who could make this right - not now. With repeated assurance to the man that she was fine, she trudged slowly down the hall, shoulder blades tensing until she heard him going his own way.

With him gone, Calley stumbled against the wall for support, a measure of self-loathing stronger than any she'd ever experienced overwhelming her. The temptation to break down had become too great. It wasn't over - it couldn't be. Shirou wouldn't stop looking for her. And the powerful desperation that had driven her to do the worst thing she'd ever done wasn't going to leave her either.

With determined finality, she got to her feet completely again, and rubbed her forehead groggily. She didn't have very much time, she knew that the likelihood of nodding off was increasing with every passing minute. If she waited, she might not be able to work up the courage to go through with it a second time.

Calley had been down this road with a blade before, but failed too many times to force the action. There had to be an easier way. She turned to look at the elevator a couple of yards away, and slowly moved towards it, shoulders slumping in intense anguish.

* * *

"No Leo, it's been pretty stationary, and your own signal is coming up hot. You're really close." Donatello assured his older brother.

"I'm afraid that I'm not going to be able to do anything here Donny." Leonardo said quietly. "I mean, it's not like I can go start knocking on doors. If they're inside, it's probably time to call Greg or Kat. There still hasn't been an answer on the phone?"

"Jen's tried every couple of minutes, it just rings straight to voice-mail now. It's probably been turned off. Hold on, let me get a better look at this."

Leonardo heard his brother typing rapidly on the other end, and then a long pause as he seemed to be pondering something.

"Leo...these coordinates suggest a pretty high altitude. How many floors does that building have?"

"It's taller than the one I'm on Donny. What are you thinking?"

"I can't say for sure without accessing the building codes, but the signal's awful high up. It could ostensibly be transmitting from the roof." Donatello told him.

"For real? Sure are getting a lot more traffic up here these days." Leonardo muttered in return. "Alright, I'm gonna check it out."

"Watch yourself Leo, you don't know who's got it." His brother said a little nervously.

"I'll take it nice and easy Don, but I need to let you go this second."

"Call me back."

"I will bro, make sure that Raph and Mike know exactly where I am."

Leonardo hung up the phone, and studied the apartment building across from him for a few seconds. After sizing up his trajectory, he leaped off the roof, and flipped onto the fire escape on the other side. Anticipation growing, the turtle climbed the remaining flights that separated him from the top, until he ran out of stairs.

Then he crawled up carefully the rest of the way, strong arms supporting his weight as he hoisted himself quietly up onto the surface as he'd done a million times before, his recently injured bicep tingling with the exertion. The turtle scanned the space, immediately drawing his coat tighter, as if for some extra measure of protection.

He'd expected that he could find someone up here, but he still wasn't completely prepared for the sight. A painfully slender figured was poised on the edge of the building, staring out over the city as if contemplating one of life's greatest mysteries. The person wasn't moving, and clearly hadn't heard Leonardo coming. The blue-banded turtle had absolutely no intention of startling them in that position.

"Uh...hey." He raised his voice evenly. "You being careful over there?"

"Stay away from me!" A somewhat strangled female's voice returned, as a suspicious gaze flew over her shoulder. "Just stay back."

"Okay." He said carefully. "But you're pretty close to the edge there, I think you could take a couple of steps back yourself."

"No, I've waited too long as it is." She replied ruefully. "I could have done it before, and he wouldn't be dead."

"It's hard when people die." Leonardo said carefully. "I know how that feels...and that you're afraid it could hurt that badly forever. But you need to consider this, alright? Don't do anything rash here."

"Rash?" She laughed bitterly. "I've wanted this for so long, and I've waited...now it can finally be over."

He took a very slow step toward her. "This isn't the answer. Whatever's happened, this won't solve it. Come down, just come down and think this through."

"No! Get away from me! It's my choice, it's my life! It's been over for years anyway. Don't you take another step!"

"Okay, I'm staying, I'm not moving, see?" He stood somewhat transfixed, in front of the figure who painted a rather pathetic picture.

Her entire body was trembling uncontrollably, and the blond hair turned silver by moonlight was uneven and choppy, as if someone had started a job that hadn't been finished.

"You look kinda shaky up there." He told her. "I'm gonna sit down right here, why don't you get off your feet too?"

"Stop it, just leave me alone. This isn't your business!" She answered with increased agitation.

In that moment, and obvious thought occurred to the turtle. "Are you Calley?" He asked unexpectedly.

She didn't answer him, but he only felt more certain now. "It's you, isn't it?"

Her brown eyes actually locked on him for the first time. "Who are you?"

"I'm a friend of your dad's." He replied.

"My father's dead." She said faintly.

"No he's not Calley." Leonardo said quickly. "My brothers already got to him. He's alive."

"You're just saying that. You don't want me to jump - but I have to."

"No you don't. You said so yourself, it's your choice. You don't have to do it Calley."

"Why are you here?"

"You don't really want to do this." Was Leonardo's only reply. "This isn't the only way."

"You know nothing about my life."

"I know that you have an amazing father, who loves you more life itself. Who never gave up trying to find you, and would have given anything in the world to be reunited with you. I know he loves you."

"No one loves me."

"He does, and I think you know that."

"But he _shouldn't_." She countered.

"You don't want to see him hurt, do you Calley?"

"All I do is hurt him."

"Taking this next step would hurt him more than anything else has. You don't want to do that. He waited all that time, only to lose you now? You can't do that to him."

As Leonardo spoke, he inched slowly toward her. He could see that he had her undivided attention now, as her eyes seemed to take in his entire form at once.

"You...you're not real." She murmured.

"Yes I am Calley, I'm just not normal."

The glazed look in her eyes made him wonder if she'd even remember meeting him. "I'm not normal either." She said softly, as she lost further control of her limbs to overpowering exhaustion.

Leonardo caught her around the waist to prevent her from falling, and she didn't even bother fighting him as he pulled her off the ledge entirely.

"It's okay, I've got you." He told her.

"They'll come for me." She said, terror evidenced from her expression.

"I won't let anyone hurt you - I promise." He said more firmly.

Her head fell against his shoulder in an act of trust that she hadn't performed in years, as tears filled her eyes again. "I don't want to do this anymore." She said with a halting sob, before her body went completely limp in his arms.


	21. Direction

***A particular comment referring to April in this chapter refers to the storyline that I grew up on, relating to the first movie's version of how the woman made her "initial trip" underground.**

* * *

The three turtles shuffled around Luke's Brownstone in Chelsea, as they waited for some kind of verdict from the doctor on what was actually going on with Calley, and for the phone call from Marcus at the hospital that would update them on Tim's condition as well. Luke's part didn't end up taking very long - it only required a simple blood test that he analyzed with the use of one of Donatello's scanners that always remained in his own use.

While she was still basically passed out in a bedroom, the man went down the hall to the upstairs sitting room, where no one _was_ sitting.

"What's going on with her Doc?" Leonardo asked, the moment he saw him in the doorway.

"She's got heroin in her system, definitely a recent injection." He replied. "While that isn't good news, it at least explains why her heart rate slowed down so much." That said, the man cast a glance back toward the hall, and then looked back at the turtle's again. "She needs to get help. I'd keep her here in a heart-beat, if I honestly believed she'd stay. I know she won't want to go back to the hospital, so the other alternative is to get her out of the city, and into a rehab program like the original plan was."

"She said 'they' were coming after her Doc." Leonardo said quietly. "The people who attacked Tim...do you think they actually could have been going after _her_?"

The man walked further into the room, and sat down in one of the chairs. "It's certainly a possibility. Her physical body bears witness to abuse. If someone was hurting her, they're probably afraid that she'll talk."

"Then she's in danger too." Michelangelo proclaimed, as he sat down on the couch across from him. "She needs protection."

"I think that getting her completely away from here would be the best thing for her." Luke said to all three of them.

"But we don't even know how they got to 'em so fast to start with." Raphael volunteered. "They only left the hospital a couple of hours ago, right?"

"She has to go _somewhere_." Luke emphasized strongly.

The words had hardly left his mouth, when Katherine's slightly urgent tone carried from down the hall.

"Luke? I need your help in here!"

With a sharp breath he rose and hurried back down the hall, to be met by the sight of his wife blocking the young woman's path from leaving the bedroom.

"Let me out!" Calley's own voice echoed this time. "_Move_, I have to go!"

"Where do you have to go Calley?" Luke asked evenly, as he carefully maneuvered past his wife to get into the bedroom.

"Away." Her voice was haggard, and her terror at waking up in an unfamiliar place was obvious.

"I know you're scared, but no one's going to hurt you." Luke told her. "Sit down, you're honestly safe here."

"Who are you people? What do you want with me?"

"My name is Luke, and that's my wife Katherine by the door. Nobody wants to hurt you." He repeated.

"Why am I_ here_?" She demanded.

"Because we're trying to help you. We know your father Tim, we're good friends with him."

"I need my father - where is he?"

"He's back at the hospital, he...he's getting the attention that he needs." Luke said carefully.

Her brown eyed gaze fell on the doorway again. "I can't stay here. They'll find me."

"Who Calley?" Luke came over to kneel at her level, as she collapsed back on the mattress. "Who's looking for you? Who hurt your father?"

She shook her head somewhat violently. "I have to go."

"You're safe here," Luke told her again. "And I think it's better from a medical standpoint as well. Your body's been through a lot, and--"

"Are you a doctor?" Her tone was somewhat flat.

"Yes, that's why I thought that--"

The woman drew both legs off the floor onto the bed, and backed against the wall. "No, don't touch me, I don't want it!"

"I'm not giving you anything Calley, I'm not doing a single thing. I'm just sitting here." He replied calmly.

"Then let me leave - let me go!"

He hesitated for a few beats. "I can't. If you walk out that door, we won't be able to protect you."

"I don't want your help, I wanna get out of here!"

As her voice rose another degree, Leonardo knocked on the partially closed door. "Doc, c'mere." He hissed through it.

Luke showed up a second later, and stood parallel to the door so that he could keep one eye on Calley at all times.

"Let me try and talk to her." The blue-banded turtle suggested. "You responded to me somewhat before."

"If she's already seen you, I guess there's no point in hiding." Luke said wearily, and let the turtle into the room.

Leonardo came inside slowly, stopping about a foot from the bed where Calley was presently cowering.

"Hi Calley. Everything's going to be alright, I promised you, remember?" He said to her.

She stared at him unspeaking for a few seconds, and then made a hesitant move his direction. "You're still real?"

He repressed a smile because of the severity of the circumstances. "Yup. And I said I'd keep you safe. But if you go running off, I can't do that. Do you understand?"

"You brought me here."

"These people are friends Calley - they only want to help you."

"All I want is my father - what's going on with him?"

"I don't know, but I'll find out for you. In the meantime though, you need to stay calm."

She settled back down on one of the pillows, but never took her eyes off of him. "Who are you?" She asked again.

"My name is Leonardo."

Calley pondered that for a moment. "That's an interesting name."

"It works for me." The blue-banded turtle cracked a smile for her that time. "But now I need to talk to my brothers and my friends. Can you stay here quietly while I do?"

"Don't leave me with them." The anxious quality returned to her voice.

"I'm not leaving entirely, just going down the hall. I'll come back in a little bit, I swear."

"I can't go back to that hospital." She said fearfully.

"You're not." He assured her. "I'm going to go figure a couple of things out, and I'll be back."

Luke was waiting on the other side of the door for him. "I just got off the phone with Marc. We need to talk about more than one thing, but let's get in with Raph and Mike first."

The turtles looked at Luke expectantly, once they were all in the sitting room together again.

"Tim's in surgery." Luke told them. "He had a badly ruptured spleen, and they're going in to try and repair it. If they can't, it'll have to come out. Prognosis is a little bit shaky considering all the factoring injuries. The best Marcus could tell me is that they're giving him about a 60/40 ratio right now."

"And that means what in english?" Raphael asked bluntly.

"It means he has a 60% chance of survival."

"You're saying he could die?" Mike asked in a small voice.

"He's in the right place Mikey, don't get too swayed by those numbers. When Greg showed up at the hospital a couple months ago, they only gave him about a 20% chance on the spot."

"You failed to mention that." Leonardo said flatly.

"There was no point at the time." Luke answered him. "Knowing wouldn't have helped anyone. The fact right _now_ is that the odds are with Tim, but he isn't here with us to make this decision."

"Which means you're going to make it for him?" Michelangelo suggested.

"_We're_ going to make it," Luke clarified. "My vote would still be for taking her directly to rehab. The problem is...these places aren't prisons. They can't lock her up, or hold her if she doesn't want to stay. And I have a distinct feeling that she isn't going to be cooperative."

"Then where does that leave us?" Raphael asked him.

"We're all _thinking_ it, why doesn't somebody just say it?" Michelangelo wondered aloud. "She needs to come down with us, we can protect her."

"Sure we can Mike, but rehabilitate her?" Raphael was the first to respond. "I don't think any of us are prepared to deal with this. Not to mention she seems kind of like a loose cannon. We've got absolutely no guarantee that she won't talk."

"We had no guarantee about Jenna either, or Luke, or anyone else for that matter!" Mike argued. "_You're_ the one who dragged April down sight unseen, without even talking to anyone about it!"

"I was a dumb kid." Raphael said morosely. "Look, I ain't sayin' I don't want to help her. I'm just pointing out the risk factors." He cast a glance over at Leonardo. "Why aren't you saying anything Fearless?"

The blue-banded turtle shook his head. "I feel like Luke's right about rehab. It's where she needs to be, but no one can force her to stay. And if she's left to her own devices...if someone else doesn't kill her, she might just do the job herself. She needs to be protected from herself, as much as from anyone else that would want to hurt her.

The real question that we have to ask ourselves, is how far are we willing to go here? It could end up requiring us to do what the abuse center won't - which is to hold her back, no matter what she says." Leonardo sighed, and cast a pointed look at Luke again. "What do you think Tim would want us to do?"

"He would never ask you guys to do _this._" Luke replied. "But the more that I think about it...I'd feel better having her where we can keep an eye on her ourselves."

"So are we doing this, or what?" Raphael asked.

"I think I should talk to Calley about it first." Leonardo said to all of them.

"You mean you're gonna ask her permission to take her captive?" Raphael suggested sarcastically.

"I don't know what I'm going to say. Give me a couple of minutes with her, and I'll figure it out."

* * *

The woman was obviously having to fight a little to stay awake; Leonardo had to call her name a few times before she actually seemed to focus on him. Leonardo had already bent down to her level, and gave her a reassuring smile when it was clear that she was looking at him.

"Leonardo?" She murmured sleepily. "You're still here."

"I told you that I wouldn't leave. But now I need to ask you something pretty serious, about what you said before. You said that you didn't want to do this anymore. Did you mean it?"

"I don't want it." She whispered. "But I don't know if I can stop."

"But you _want_ to stop."

"Yes." Her voice actually rose a little that time.

"Are you going to be able to let us help you?"

"I don't...I can't go back to those doctors."

Leonardo couldn't help chuckling slightly. "As shocking as it might be, I can't exactly go to the hospital either. If we're going to help you ourselves, it means you have to enter our territory. The thing is...people don't know about us Calley, at least not very many of them. Our home is sort of the last frontier, and we'd rather that you didn't have to be responsible for its' location."

She sat up partway on one elbow. "You don't trust me." She said softly.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend you--"

"No, it's fine. I don't trust me either." She slurred slightly. "I don't know if I can do this."

"I can't tell you that I have any experience with it." He said honestly. "But you don't have to do it alone. For your dad, for _yourself_, are you willing to give it a shot?"

The woman nodded after a moment. "But you have to promise me...you're going to have to stop me from doing anything stupid." _Like I already did_, she added silently only in her own mind. "When I'm desperate enough, I'll do just about anything for a fix. You can't let me."

She had inadvertently given him the permission he was looking for.

"Are you willing to trust us Calley?"

She held her breath slightly as she gazed into dark eyes that were similar, and yet so unlike Shirou's. Calley considered the question for a long moment, as thoroughly as somewhat muddied thoughts would allow. She didn't know why she felt more at ease with this creature than anyone else in conscious remembrance. She had a strong sense that he wouldn't let anyone else hurt her, and that he wouldn't do anything to her himself. In that instant it was as if a small light came on in the back her mind,

"I trust you."


	22. Bump

"Are you sure about this Doc?" Leonardo asked Luke somewhat nervously, concerning giving Calley half of one of the low-dose sedatives that Donatello had designed specifically for Raphael.

"You didn't trick her Leonardo, you told her exactly what it was." Luke said matter-a-factly. "So you have nothing to feel guilty about."

"No, I'm asking, are you sure it won't hurt her? What with the other junk she already has in there I mean."

"Leo, relax. You and your brothers' intolerance to conventional medications have forced Donatello and I to come up with safer solutions. The natural base works just as well for humans, as it does on you guys."

Leonardo did finally loosen up somewhat on the seat, as he cast another look over at the sleeping woman. She was already nodding off again on her own, the small sedative was only in place to help her_ stay _asleep, at least until they got where they were going. "You should have seen the way she looked at me Doc." He said softly. "I didn't see that trust coming in a million years."

"Why not Leo? You're the one who found her after all." Michelangelo pointed out.

"You know what I mean Mike. Just being as different as we are poses a challenge for most people. With her, it's like this weird opposite effect. She's scared and anxious about the humans, but trusted me enough to take a pill from me without question. You don't think that's bizarre?"

"Not coming from someone who doesn't trust _people _Leo." Luke responded. "Her experience at St. Joseph's spooked her, and it's clear other people have hurt her too. There's entirely too much fear going on for it to be otherwise. The allergic reaction she suffered in the hospital has her considering doctors to be the enemy too right now, and I made the mistake of telling her I was one."

"What's going to happen with her Doc?" Mike asked him. "You talk like this is going to be rough."

"Hopefully I'll be able to procure another medication to help her through withdrawal. And the worst of that...it shouldn't last more than a couple of days, up to a week."

"And then what?" Leonardo wondered. "Raph's right, we don't really know what we're doing here. But it doesn't seem like we have another good option. You _are_ going to stick around with us, aren't you Luke?" He finished a little tensely.

"I wouldn't leave you alone with her in this condition, even if it could be tricky to get her to allow me to help her. But I'm not abandoning you, I promise." Luke assured both turtles at the same time.

* * *

Shirou was more frustrated than he could remember feeling in recent history. He had searched for Calley non-stop for the last eight hours, and was now finally taking a few minutes to consider his options. Going back to the complex wasn't one of them. Though Takashi had given him a chance to find her before, he knew very well that it had been his _only _chance. Returning home wasn't even on the agenda, not until he'd found her.

The young man had settled down inside of a diner, just to take some time to catch his breath a little bit. He'd turned his phone off hours ago, and not seen any of the others since he'd fled the parking lot after the young woman. The morning news had been droning on in the background near the counter he was seated at. Two different voices had been recounting weather and traffic conditions, and he'd been shutting it out so much that he didn't even notice when it switched over to a live news report at first.

"...coming to you live from the scene, just blocks away from the intersection of Oak and Broad, where police are still reconstructing a crime scene at this hour..."

The mention of Oak street was what drew Shirou's attention to the TV, and a tense breath escaped as the reporter on the screen relayed the discovery of the body there in the overnight hours.

_They let him __live__? _The young warrior couldn't believe his own ears, and went even colder at the mention that the victim was a Captain belonging to the NYPD. Shirou growled fiercely under his breath, barely able to restrain himself from making a scene right there in the diner. So it had been an all around failure - worse than a wasted effort even. Both fists were clenched so hard on the counter in front of him that his knuckles were turning white.

_Nothing I do will be enough now. Even if I were able to find her and finish this, the others have to have blamed this entire spectacle on me. If they had simply killed him as they should have, I wouldn't be in this mess right now!_

He fumed angrily for a few moments longer, before despair started to set in. He was stuck - he may as well already count himself among the dead if he tried to return at this point. But the reasoning portion of his mind had yet to give in entirely. If there were something, one thing that could appease his father and the entire clan in one fell swoop...what could he do, and how could he accomplish it on his own?

He shifted on his stool at the counter as a tinge of pain struck his ribcage again, a silent reminder of the battle they'd recently been in. The Phantoms. Of _course_ that was the answer - it had to be them. Their contacts inside the prison system had relayed sparse details of accounts so far, but no real leads that could tell them what the creatures even were, let alone how to find them. The Clan hadn't been able to dedicate themselves to chasing down all the random accounts with everything else they had going on - but now Shirou's own attention could be undivided.

Despite the early hour he yanked out his phone, and considered who he wanted to call. He'd acted as one of the contact points between some of their insiders, regardless of the fact that Yukiko was technically running that ship. Right now he only needed to get control of one of them, that he would need to manipulate for his own purpose.

Shirou searched through his recent call-log for a number, and then hit the button to re-dial a certain contact. A groggy sounding man answered on the fourth ring.

"Mm...hello?"

"Mr. Turner." Shirou said smoothly. "Are you awake?"

"What? Yeah, I'm up. It's a little early for business, isn't it? Can't we do this at a more decent hour?"

"It won't wait , because we have the impression that you've been wasting our time." Shirou challenged.

"I told you this wasn't going to be simple." The man countered. "Getting credible information out of criminals is hard enough as it is, even when you're not weeding through complete liars, and the one's who only_ think _they've seen something."

"Think they've seen something? It could be that your own disbelief in this matter is hindering your search." Shirou said icily.

"I'm doing the best I can, with that I have to work with. I don't know what you expect me to do! I can't pull an informant out of thin air."

"I want two things from you." Shirou told him. "First, I want you to expand your search range, start looking through the further detention centers in New York state. And secondly, any further details that you pass along will be filtered only through me. Our leaders grow weary of your lack of focus, so I will be judging your new leads myself."

Shirou's strategy centered on being able to track the Phantoms down before the others, and thereby earn his own way back into the good graces of the Akiudo.

"I'll do what I can, but you have to give me time. It's not easy to sort through all of these characters. Can you at least give me a chance to do this properly?"

"I'm prepared to double your incentive , but not without results. Work harder - my patience will only last for so long." Shirou proclaimed, and promptly hung up the phone.

Now he just had to figure out what to do with himself in the meantime. Step one...that would have to be finishing what the others had so carelessly left undone.

* * *

After going to sleep the last time, Calley didn't stir again until after 10am the next morning. She shifted somewhat stiffly on the mattress underneath her, and then opened brown eyes to take in the sight of the Lab. Panic swelled up in an instant, but someone was immediately at her side to calm her down.

"Shh, it's alright." The turtle encouraged her. "Don't be afraid. You're safe here."

Her eyes squinted somewhat for a better look at him. "You're not Leonardo." She said after a moment of hesitation.

"No, I'm not." The purple-banded turtle acknowledged. "My name is Donatello, I'm one of his brothers. You met the others last night too, do you remember them?"

"All of you with these big names. I kind of thought it could be a dream." She said honestly.

"We're not." Donny answered her, puzzled that she'd calmed down so easily.

"So is this...are we..."

"This is part of our home, where I do most of my own work." He told her.

"Why are you helping me?" She asked bluntly.

"Well...for one thing, it's something we do. My brothers and I that is. But like they told you, we're also friends with your father." Donatello explained. "We're going to do everything that we can to help you...believe me."

Her gaze suddenly faltered, and didn't seem to focus on him as much. "I tried to stop before. I couldn't make it, I wanted to die so badly. But I want to die now anyway."

"Calley..." His voice was soft, but no less powerful in its' tone. "It might be the hardest thing that you ever have to do, but it's worth it in the long run. You have to remind yourself that it's temporary, all of it is, that it's not going to last. You've got good reason to live, a lot of things to look forward to. You just have to get over this bump in the road."

"A bump in the road?" She repeated, shaking her head slightly. The motion was a mistake - it only made her throbbing head hurt more. "You have no idea what this is actually like."

"I'm sorry," He said at once. "You're right. But your father--"

"My father." She latched onto the words. "Where is he? How is he?"

The purple-banded turtle wasn't certain how much he should say, but giving her some kind of details was necessary. "He's in the hospital, he had to have surgery last night. I haven't heard anything for awhile, but I can tell you that he's alive."

"Will I be able to see him?"

"Uh...yes Calley, you'll see him. But it could end up being a few days. Can you hang in there with us in the meantime?" He asked gently.

"Is he going to live?"

He tried very hard not to hesitate. "He's through the most dangerous part." Donatello responded.

Her face turned suddenly further away from him, tears shining in her eyes. She unexpectedly broke faster than he even saw it coming. "It should have been me, it should have been...Oh God...it has to end."

Donatello thought better of asking her anything, and offered her some water instead. She didn't take it at first, but when he persisted, she accepted the bottle from him.

"I should say that I'm sorry_ now_." She mused after a couple of sips.

"Sorry for what?"

"You don't know what I'm like without it. You'll understand later."


	23. Outlook

Brandon had already lifted his normal limit, but wasn't ready to let go of the weight yet today. The frustration, the anger was fueling him on, pushing him to continue bench-pressing despite the physical pain that accompanied it. It had become a small distraction as all of his mind power simply bent on continuing to lift, in light of his body's protests to stop. Only when he felt the tightness in his chest and started experiencing a slight struggle to breathe did he bother racking the weight.

He rolled upright, but then hunched over a little on the edge of the bench while he caught his breath. Sweating didn't bother him - it was only an indication that he was pushing himself hard enough. After a few seconds he sat up straight, and glanced around for his towel. It was then that he noticed Katherine standing a few feet away from him. The man rolled his eyes, and swiped his towel off the nearby chair.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her. "How did you even find me? No, wait, let me guess. You've got someone tailing me."

"No one's following you Brandon." She said in exasperation. "I called around to about two dozen hotels until I found out where you were staying, and then I looked up gyms in the general vicinity. You're just a creature of habit."

The man dropped straight down onto one of the mats. "I guess it's nice that someone can be dependable." He said sarcastically. "But that doesn't explain why you're here."

She walked over to join him, kicking off her shoes before lowering herself to the mat across from him. "We never meant to hurt you Brandon."

"I don't really want to talk about it, that's why I left." He said shortly, and then shook his head at her. "Y'know, the whole point of working out was to get some of this out of me, and then you go and show up here. You're a real big help."

As he spoke, he straddled both legs on either side of him, stretching them out to their fullest extent. He was capable of carrying on with the exercises, as if she weren't even there.

"Then we don't have to talk about it." Kat said plainly. "Let's start somewhere else. Were you planning on carrying over participation to any of the Tai kwon do exhibitions here?"

His glance only rested on her for a moment. "I don't know. It's easier to focus on one thing at a time right now." He said stoically, as all the frustration he'd been trying to ease out of was coming creeping back over him. It hadn't been easy to leave behind some of his long-term contacts in California, partners, students, and teachers that he'd trained with or taught for almost two decades now. His most influential partner was sitting across from him, but he was having a hard time even looking at her.

"I know you're angry with us." Katherine said softly. "But I wish you'd give us a chance here."

"A chance to do what?" He muttered. "Why does it even matter at this point? The two of you were perfectly happy, before I showed up and started rocking the boat. I never should have taken the step to uproot my whole life."

"We _weren't _perfectly happy Brandon. We hated keeping this from you. That's why we asked you to come, so that we could get everything out into the open."

"Why now Kat? Why not before? Why did you ever have to hide any of it from me?" He asked her.

"It's not easy to explain, but if you'll hear me out, I'll tell you everything."

He sat up further out of the limber stretching position, and focused on a portion of the wall that was behind her. "I don't think I'm ready to do this." He told her. "I don't think I can objectively listen right now. Give me some room to breathe, and maybe I'll feel differently later."

Katherine hesitated for a beat. "Karina's really broken up Brandon. She hasn't said more than ten words to me since you left. I don't know what you said to her, but she's like destroyed. I know you don't really want to leave things this way. She's your little sister."

"_Don't _talk to me about Karina." He said sharply. "I'm finished here."

"Okay, you want space, that's fine. But I thought I would at least give you this."

He stared at the card she was holding out suspiciously, without moving to take it. "What is it?"

"It's a business card, from a friend of Luke's, an orthopedic surgeon out of St. Joseph's. He has an extra room in his apartment, and no one to fill it presently."

Brandon shook his head at her again. "Kat, I'm a grown man of 32. I don't need you to look out for me. I've taken care of myself for nearly fifteen years without your help, I sure don't need it now."

"Hear me out for one second, alright? Staying in a hotel is going to eat through your savings. This guy is hardly in his apartment, practically all he does is sleep there. It would only be until you find a place of your own. Just think about it, alright?"

She dropped the card in front of him, and then got to her feet. "We're trying to do the right thing here Bran, if you'll ever get around to letting us."

Katherine scooped up her shoes, and quietly left the room. As the bronze haired woman walked out of the gym, she pulled out her phone to call Marcus again. The man sounded very tired and a little strained when he picked up, making her instantly regret it.

"Did I wake you up? I'm sorry Marc."

"It's alright Kat. What's going on, did you talk to your brother?"

"Kind of, he's not exactly in a reasonable state yet. But I gave him your card, and hopefully he'll call you. I don't know how much good it will do, I'm just praying that he'll take the bait." Katherine paused for an instant, and then went on. "How's Tim doing?"

"No change, not since I retreated to the crash room. His major life signs are in pretty good shape, but he hasn't made any inclination toward waking up."

"How long could it take Marc?"

"There's no easy answer for that Kat. Comas don't stick to a text book definition. They're doing everything that they can for him, and the only thing we can do on the outside is wait."

* * *

Jenna had been curled up on a chair in the waiting room next to her mother, for what felt close to eternity. There was no telling how Victoria honestly felt judging from her expression. The woman had been a consistent rock, from the time that Jenna had first met her. Even now, the calm serenity over her features was baffling to the young woman.

Against her better judgement, Jenna cocked her head at Victoria, and asked her a question. "How do you do this Mom?"

The woman turned slightly in her direction. "Do what sweetheart?"

"How do you stay so calm, so poised in spite of everything?"

"For one thing, I'm not always calm."

"C'mon Mom. You know what I'm asking right now. How do you keep it together this way?"

"Jen, I learned a long time ago, that feeding into negative thoughts, negative thinking, it only makes matters worse in situations like this. It doesn't mean that I don't get emotional, that would be impossible. But rather than focusing any energy on fear or the odds of everything that can go wrong, I try to fix on positive thoughts, and cling to faith for good things." Victoria answered.

"You make it sound easy." Jenna commented. "I don't see how it can be."

"Think of it this way Jenna. When you're caught up in a circumstance like this one, your mind can choose to go a number of different directions. You can experience fear, or go to a place of numbness where you're trying to feel nothing at all. Or you can make the decision to fix on positive thoughts and hope."

"What difference does it make? It doesn't change anything." Jenna had to ask. "It's not that I don't believe that it works for you. I just don't see how it's easy for everyone else to accomplish."

"Jen, you get to _choose_ what you think about. You have the power to focus your mind in a good place, and that does make a difference, whether you realize it or not."

* * *

Michelangelo had milled around the den for half the morning, before deciding just to get some "air" underground. He stopped by his room upstairs to grab a board, and headed back down the stairs to the living area. Luke was sitting outside the Lab on his laptop, scrolling through a page of internet results.

"Hey Doc. Whatcha doing?" The orange masked turtle asked.

The man glanced up at him. "Just a little research Mike, as well as keeping my distance. Calley's not really feeling me yet."

"It'll get better with some time, don't you think?" Mike asked hopefully.

"Not in the immediate future it won't. Things will only go downhill for the next couple of days - you'll see what I mean soon enough." Luke told him, and then caught sight of the turtle's skateboard. "You watch it out there, okay Mikey?"

The turtle nodded. "I probably won't be gone that long. I'll see you in a bit."

* * *

Michelangelo made a small leap to get moving on the board, shifting his weight expertly to center it. One foot hit the tunnel floor to propel him further, and he picked up speed rapidly. The turtle spent several minutes alternating between riding, and then slowing down for short distances, intentionally avoiding any kind of fancy stunts today. A misstep was the last thing that anyone needed to deal with.

The orange-masked turtle came to a rest after nearly an hour, and focused on the grating that was overhead of him. The light of day entered the darkened tunnel through it, and he settled down on the very edge of it to listen. There was what sounded like a basketball game going on above him, and he took in the sound of whooping and hollering boys with a small smile.

_Man, what I wouldn't give for one chance_...

He broke the contemplation off abruptly. Thoughts along those lines were best to be avoided. The only way to maintain a consistently positive outlook was to consider everything that they had going for them, rather than the forced limitations.

Michelangelo glanced down at his watch. Leonardo and Raphael had been up most of the night, and they'd probably wake up soon, as hungry as a horse. He gave his board a small kick to return it to the correct position, and turned for home.


	24. Dreading

Calley was nervous, dreading what she knew was coming. Actually, nervous probably wasn't the right word to describe it. It was more of a purveying fear, that had penetrated through every part of her. She'd been down this road before and lived through the hell, only to return to the drug when she was so desperate to stop the withdrawal process.

She'd been in such a daze for the last few minutes she hardly noticed or felt the shower spray. It should have felt good - she could sort of remember a time when it always had. But the sensation wasn't anything close to bringing her satisfaction now. It was simply a necessity that honestly didn't even _feel _like a necessity anymore.

Calley hadn't kept track of the passing minutes, but she _was _growing weary of standing here, and of the intermittent knocks that were checking on her, making sure that she would still answer. As she finally reached to shut off the water, there was yet another knock on the door as the young woman grappled for her towel. "Yes?"

"Calley, I left some clothes in the bathroom for you." The Australian lilt of the raven haired woman's voice traveled through the barely open door. "Take as much time as you want, and just shout if you need anything else."

"Alright." Calley responded somewhat less than enthusiastically, as she stepped cautiously out onto the rug.

She used pain-staking effort to simply dry off, and found herself pausing for a few seconds by the mirror. She didn't usually muster the stamina to look at her own reflection, and it took more time yet to talk herself into it today. As Calley pondered the face looking back at her, she reached up to touch her own skin, as if to assure herself that it was actually real.

Then she ran the same hand through the end of jagged cut blond hair. As a flash of the night before came back to her, she collapsed partially over the sink, and had to grip it firmly to keep her balance on her feet. This was not her - she couldn't be this person. In the back of her mind, it still felt like some sort of weird alternate reality. Or at least, that's what she _wished_ it was.

Calley turned the faucet on part way, and dashed a small amount of cold water over her palms, before drawing them up to her face.

_What am I doing here? Why'd I agree to come so easily? I don't even know them. Why did I have to lose it so bad last night? If I could just have held it together a little longer..._

She straightened upright without bothering to finish the thought, and cast one last swift glance at her reflection. "You want to stop." She said out loud, and then more quietly under her breath, "I_ have _wanted to, I just couldn't get through it."

_Thus enters the desperate plea to throw yourself in someone else's hands, just because they promise to protect you?_

She had no real reason to believe that Leonardo (or any of the others for that matter) would do what he said. But she couldn't shake the memory of the feeling she had in his presence, as if no power on earth could reach her or touch her. She used to experience that sort of an intuituve sense about another person quite frequently, but it had literally been years since that gift had been in use.

In any case, they weren't like people. And as much as it didn't make sense to her rational mind, she was finding it much easier to accept their version of reality, than the world of human atrocities that her own had become. Calley belonged in the latter, it was the only way she knew. The thought of even having a normal life or relationships was laughable. She didn't deserve them, even it _were_ possible to dwell among the living again.

A chill coursed over her exposed skin, causing her to tremble somewhat, and turn away from the sink to get on the clothes that Jenna had left. Then she hesitated in the doorway of the bathroom, not quite ready to go into the hallway yet. She glanced up and down the length of it, as if some demon were waiting to pounce on her the moment she left the "safety" of the bathroom.

As Calley stood poised there, she suddenly heard voices coming from a couple of doors away, and one of them was distinctly Leonardo's. With a somewhat tense breath she moved toward it, shuffling slowly in the direction of the open door where the sound was coming from.

"Leonardo?" She called questioningly, falling back a pace when someone appeared immediately at the door.

The red-banded turtle held up his hands reassuringly. "Hey, we're okay here...it's okay." He said quickly. "I didn't mean to startle you. Leo's in here, were you looking for him?"

Calley took the tiniest of steps forward again, as Raphael moved aside to give her a clear path to the door. The blue-banded turtle was braced on the edge of his bed, with one of his katana balanced carefully across his knees as he was expertly honing the blade. The young woman's eyes fell on the weapon, and the room instantly changed before her eyes.

It was no longer the turtle in front of her, but the familiar form of her long-time captor. The blade was in _his _hand now, and flashing toward her with frightening accuracy. A strangled cry lept from her throat as she back-pedaled directly into Raphael. The red-banded turtle had no idea what the problem was, but the terror in her eyes caused him to hold onto her carefully, unsure of what she was going to do next.

Great sobs rose from deep within her chest, as the "man" came toward her swiftly.

"No Teishu, please..." She managed between racing breathes.

"Calley, it's _me_. Look right here - it's just me." Leonardo told her.

She recognized the voice, but it still took her a minute to escape the vision that was clouding her mind. She came back to herself, to the correct room a few seconds later, and laid dark brown eyes in the turtle again.

"Calley?" He repeated uncertainly. "Are you alright?"

Her eyes traveled slightly past him to the mattress where both blades were lying, and she lowered her forehead with a sharp exhaled breath. Raphael slowly let go of her now that it seemed like she was under control, and she inexplicably sank to her knees on the floor, still shaking a little. Leonardo noticed that her gaze at now returned to his weapons, and made a careful move to return them to the sheathes lying close by as well.

Then he made a small motion with his head toward Raphael, and the red-banded turtle backed out of the room entirely.

Leonardo sat down quietly beside her on the rug. "Hey. I'm sorry I scared you. Are you okay now?"

Without truly meeting his gaze, she nodded her head slightly.

"Where did you hear that word?" The blue-banded turtle ventured to ask her.

"What word?" She replied softly.

"_Teishu_." He clarified for her.

Her eyes flicked up to meet him, some of the strange terror reflected in them again.

"Alright, that's okay." Leonardo said quickly. "You don't have to talk about it. Do you want to get up? You have to be hungry by now."

The blue-banded turtle got to his feet first, and offered her a hand on an impulse. She stared at it for a couple of seconds, before stretching a little to reach it. It didn't feel the way she'd expected it to, and the experience of the new texture caused her to merely hold onto it for a few moments, before letting him help her off the floor.

Leonardo shifted somewhat awkwardly in his stance as she got her legs underneath her again. Her lingering gaze was causing the oddest sensation, which made him forget to let go of her own hand immediately. The blue-banded turtle blinked after a moment, as though realizing what he was actually doing, and then let go of it like it was a hot poker.

He instantly took half a step backward toward the door. "So, are you ready to go downstairs?"

Calley wasn't the least bit hungry, but allowed the turtle to lead her back downstairs anyway. She stiffened when they got to the bottom of the staircase, and she saw Luke waited expectantly for them.

"Let's go sit down." Leonardo suggested to her, to draw her attention sufficiently away from him. She nodded as he nudged her slightly toward the couch.

"How are you feeling now?" Luke asked her, attempting to sound as normal as possible.

"Fine." She answered evenly.

"It's important for you to drink as much water as you can," The doctor told her. "It will help your body get through the next couple of days. But I want you to know that there are certain other options that can help get you through this too."

"Are you talking about drugs?" She tensed again. "Because I don't...it didn't work for me."

"I know you had an allergic reaction to methadane, but it's not the only medical resource out there." Luke said carefully.

She shook her head at the man. "I don't want it." She cast a nervous glance at Leonardo. "You won't let him make me, will you?"

"Calley, I'm not going to force anything on you." Luke said. "I understand that you don't know me, and you don't trust me. But I'm only trying to make this an easier transition for you."

"You think you know what this is like?" She asked him. "You don't have a clue how it feels, and I don't want anything to make it worse."

Luke resisted the urge to throw his hands up in frustration. "It's your choice." He said with a sense of resignation. "I told you that I wouldn't force anything on you."

As much as he hated the irrational anxiety she displayed toward him, he couldn't help feeling a sense of compassion in the back of his mind too. _She's been through hell_, he reminded himself. _Just be glad she's letting anyone near her at all._

Luke's forehead creased slightly as he caught the immediate softening of her gaze as she turned from him to look back at Leonardo, and then at Michelangelo who was just coming out of the kitchen.

_Talk about your role reversals. We're probably in for a couple of interesting days and nights down here_, he thought inwardly, as he rose from the chair to return to where Donatello was working in the Lab.

It was only when he was gone that she relaxed further on the couch, or at least, that was her intention. The cramping sensation that had already started twinging through her leg muscles was a good indication that she wasn't going to be able to do very much of that.


	25. Footage

Greg came down a couple of hours later, a secretive look accompanying the laptop he was toting under one arm. He met all four of the brothers in the living area, and then turned a curious glance in the direction of the Lab.

"How's Calley doing?" The man asked them.

"Okay," Leonardo allowed. "Trying to get some sleep. Doc says that's going to become a lot harder over the next couple of nights. It's been pretty weird having her around."

"Weird because she's acting funny?" Greg came back.

"She's more afraid of Luke and the girls than she is of us." Donatello commented. "It's almost like...like Leonardo imprinted her last night. It's the only way to describe it." Donatello finished, and then gave the man an appraising look. "You look like you have something up your sleeve there Heff. Do you come bearing information?"

"I do, and it's going to require Leo and Raph's eyes to make any sense of it. Donny, can you give me a hand hooking this thing up to the TV? It'll be a lot easier to watch this on there." Greg requested.

While Donatello moved to get a necessary cable, Michelangelo sat up further on the other end of the couch with interest.

"To watch what Heff?" The orange-banded turtle asked.

"I procured all of the footage from the different security feeds from that club, everything from that Friday night." Greg replied with a triumphant grin, signifying that obtaining said material been a feat in itself.

"How'd you get it?" Leonardo spoke up. "Don't they want like a warrant for stuff like that? Surely they didn't just up and volunteer it."

"No, can't say that they did Leo. You just have to ask for things the right way." The man answered with a chuckle.

"Would that be the right way according to the law, or just the way that gets things done the fastest?" The blue-banded turtle continued.

"He's got the footage Fearless - I think that's enough said." Raphael laughed too. "This could be interesting. I've always wanted to see what kinds of idiots people make of themselves in those places."

Michelangelo popped up from the couch with a cheeky smile of his own, and headed for the kitchen.

"Where ya going Mikey?" Raphael called after him.

"You can't have movie night without snacks." The turtle replied, and disappeared through the door.

Leonardo rolled his dark eyes. "We should be taking this seriously. You're hoping that we can locate some of those men, aren't you?" He directed back at Greg.

The human nodded, as Donatello returned and began the process of linking up the proper media.

"To what do we owe this privileged view?" The purple-banded turtle asked.

"It's not that hard to get people to be cooperative, at least not when so many of them are behind in their permits." Greg smirked. "It didn't take a lot of convincing to walk away with a copy, I'll just put it that way."

"You make it sound like so much fun." Raphael snickered.

"I'm used to letting James handle that part, but I have learned a thing or two from working with her through the years. Do your homework in advance, and you'll always have a plan to fall back on." Greg added.

Donatello made an adjustment with the TV remote, and glanced back over at Greg again. "You can control us from there, right?"

"Yup. Now let me see here...there's probably a good portion that we can skip completely. You guys said that the original targets showed up at the club...uh...a little after 12:30?" Greg clarified.

Leonardo nodded. "But they didn't use the front entrance - they came in from the side."

"Right, so we won't have footage of them arriving, but that doesn't mean we won't eventually find them somewhere on the feed. This is where you two come in, because you're the only ones who saw these first guys. I'll focus on one view at a time, and you speak up if you see anyone that looks remotely familiar." Greg instructed them.

About forty minutes into their viewing, Jenna and Karina arrived home from the surface, having come once more from the hospital. The women stood back for a few moments to stare at the screen that the rest of the room was riveted on.

"Is this like some new reality show that I haven't heard of?" Karina asked of no one in particular.

"No, this is actually about as real as it gets." Mike chuckled from the couch.

"We're working here." Leonardo replied without looking up.

"Yeah, we can see that." Jenna said in a slightly teasing tone, and then rested her fingers purposefully on the back of Donatello's neck.

The purple-banded turtle glanced over his shoulder at her, and then got up from the couch. "How's everything at the hospital Jen?"

"Nothing new to report." She replied more seriously, as Greg paused the footage so that everyone could pay attention to her answer. "I guess it's better than bad news, but I still wish he'd wake up. What about Calley? It all seems quiet right now."

"Doc says that it's the slight calm before the storm." Raphael told her sardonically, as Karina came over by the chair he was sitting in.

The woman cast an appraising glance at the dancing female that Greg had unintentionally paused the screen on.

"So this is work, huh?" She said with a mock challenging tone.

"We're supposed to be locating those idiots who were connected to that group somehow, or the girls they were messing with to begin with. I can't help all these random females that are mixed in. They don't hold a candle to you anyhow." The red-banded turtle stated wisely.

Donatello got to his feet, and came around to the back of the couch to join Jenna, casting an arm lightly around her back.

"You go ahead guys." He told the others.

"You don't need to see this?" Jenna asked him, and he shook his head at her.

"Nah. Mike and I wouldn't know 'em even if we did see them on there."

The pair retreated to their room down the hall, where Jenna took her time to change into her pajamas, stress reading in every muscle of her body.

Donatello sat down mutely on the edge of the bed to wait for her, and then scooted further back as she came to sit down too. The young woman pulled the rubber-band out of her dark hair, and shook it out with a giant sigh. Without saying a single word, she was speaking volumes.

Donatello reached for both her shoulders, kneading fingers carefully over them as she closed light blue eyes wearily. Neither turtle nor woman spoke for several minutes, as he merely tried to work some of the days' tension out of her. Jenna finally turned slightly to face him, and he pulled her closer so that she could relax directly against his plastron.

She sighed somewhat more contentedly now, as he ran a hand lightly over her hair. "There's really no one else like you, d'you know that?" She asked him suddenly.

"I happen to think the same thing about you." He answered softly.

* * *

"...Hold up, now freeze it Heff." Leonardo said suddenly. He felt like he was the only one actually staying on track here; Raphael had been distracted ever since Karina had come home.

Greg quickly obliged, pin-pointing the frame in the spot that he'd requested. "You recognize someone Leo?"

The blue-banded turtle got to his feet, squinting a little more closely at the somewhat grainy image on the screen. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's one of them. Would you care to have an opinion Raph?" He said a little shortly to get his brother's attention back where it was supposed to be.

The red-banded turtle looked over guiltily, and then studied the screen for himself. "Oh, yeah. That looks like 'Mr. Ugly' himself." He remarked. "That guy and I had a nice close up."

Greg started the feed back up, brow furrowing when the man escaped his angle. "I'm gonna take a second to switch up my view, see if I can get a cleaner image of him."

"What will you do with it Heff?" Michelangelo asked him.

"Try to identify him, and then track him down." Greg replied. "They're shady characters alright, even if they don't really fit the 'Akiudo' mold. That would actually make them the perfect cohort to aid and abet this type of work. They're just another face in the crowd."

"So you think if we find them, we can find the Akiudo." Leonardo stated obviously.

"That's my hope anyway. It's the best place for us to start...Now _there's_ a good shot of him." Greg commented, freezing the frame again. "I'm going to save that, and you guys keep your eyes open. The more of them that we can locate, the better chance I'll have of being able to connect back to a real person."

* * *

Marcus was in the middle of saying goodnight to April at her door, and almost didn't answer his cell-phone when it went off. It was April who pulled away from his grasp first.

"You'd better answer that." She advised him.

Marcus pulled his phone off his belt, and glanced down at the unknown number. His recent phone call from Nicholas had him a little spooked, but that had been to his land-line. None of those morons had ever gained access to his cell number. At least not that he knew of. He flipped the phone open regardless.

"This is Marcus."

"Dr. Sloan?" An unfamiliar voice greeted him. "This is Brandon James, I hope it's alright that I'm calling. We haven't been properly introduced, but my sister passed your card along to me."

"You're Katherine's brother?" Marcus asked at once.

"Yeah, exactly. I've been going through some options in my head, considering a couple of different directions. I thought I'd call you directly, and find out what the deal with this apartment is."

Marcus kept his voice even. He didn't want to sound overly eager or pushy. Katherine had asked for his help in keeping her brother close by, since she knew he wasn't likely to step foot back near the Brownstone anytime soon. "Well, she probably told you that I'm in orthopedics at St. Joseph's, and most of my time is split between the hospital, and my fiance." He mentioned casually. "The room's available if you want it."

"Just like that?"

"You come on a good recommendation. I'm actually off tomorrow, if you want to come see the place."

"Uh...yeah. That would be great."


	26. Through This

Under Luke's advice, beginning that evening Calley wasn't going to be left alone under any circumstances. They'd volunteered for specific watches, but no matter who was "on", Luke stayed close by on the couch in the living area. He wasn't very comfortable with the situation at hand, but reasoned with himself that it was temporary. He'd briefed the turtles on what they could potentially expect behaviour wise, and then settled in for the long haul.

Greg had taken a quick look into the room before he left, but backed away from the Lab as quickly as if it had been a raging inferno. He wanted to help if he was able to, but it was going to require working up to it a little bit. The sight of the woman in the beginning stages of withdrawal reminded him too much of his mother from years ago. Without saying anything about it, he promised the guys he'd be back the next day, and to let him know if they needed anything before then.

It was nearly midnight now, and Luke was sleeping somewhat fitfully out in the living area. Michelangelo was sitting up in the Lab, playing a silent round of euchre on one of the computers to pass the time, and to keep himself alert. The computer never served as a very satisfying partner, and usually ended up annoying him more than anything else.

_Shell, seriously? You're gonna waste the left bar right now? I'd be better off having a rock for a partner - at least then I could play both hands._

The turtle rolled his eyes as he was forced to follow the suite his partner had led, and throw off the right bar that would unnecessarily trump his own partner. _Stupid computer. You don't __lead__ with the second highest trump when you don't know where the most powerful one is!_

A small grunt from a couple of feet away interrupted the turtle's rant against the imaginary computer partner, and he immediately glanced over at Calley, who was pushing her way partially upright.

"Leonardo?" Her voice came out softly.

"No, it's Mike." He told her, tensing just a little at the way she tremored. "Can I get something for you?"

"Thirsty." She mentioned, and he rose to grab some water from the refrigerated unit.

The way her fingers shook made the turtle think twice about just handing it over. He got it open first, and kept one hand under it while she swallowed a couple of mouth-fulls, only to tremble harder. She had two blankets already, but still looked as if she were cold. After the turtle got the bottle back from her, he went over to one of the adjacent closets, and dug out another blanket for her to add to the bed.

She laid back down, but her body remained rigid, the lines in her face indicating the anxiety that was building within. The young woman yawned heavily but didn't shut her eyes, taking the moment to fix a mute stare on Michelangelo. The blue-eyed turtle cleared his throat after a few seconds.

"You look tired Calley." He said. "You should try and get some more sleep."

"My mind is going in fifteen directions - I can't hardly shut it off." She replied.

"Maybe if you try to just focus in one, that'll do the trick." He suggested.

"It hasn't been that easy." She answered.

"Let me give it a shot then." He told her with a slight grin. "Did you ever hear the story about the tortoise and the hare?"

"You mean slow and steady wins the race?"

"That's the most popular version, but the Indians like to tell it a little differently." Michelangelo said. "Do you wanna hear it?"

She nodded slightly, and he rolled the desk chair closer to her.

"Okay. So this tortoise and a hare are sitting by a stream one day, and the hare is bragging about being the fastest runner in the world. Tortoise wasn't buying it, and insisted that he could beat the hare in a race. The hare only laughed at him, which made the tortoise even more angry. 'I will win the race', he insisted. 'You meet me here tomorrow morning, and I'll wear a white feather so that you can see me through the tall grass. We'll race over the four hills, and the first one to get to the line over the fourth hill will be the winner of it all'.

The hare agreed and hopped off, still laughing to himself. Now tortoise was in big trouble, because he knew he wasn't fast enough to beat the hare. But he had a plan. Maybe he'd been consulting with Leonardo. In any case, he got together with his whole family that night, and explained about the race and his idea. Then tortoise gave each of his family members a white feather, and assigned them to various stages along the race route.

The next morning the hare came down to the starting line, and "tortoise" was waiting in the tall grass with his feather. Hare started running, and the tortoise's white feather came creeping along behind him. As the hare came up the first hill, he _saw_ the white feather, crawling down into the valley ahead of him. He couldn't believe his eyes, but put on a burst of speed to pass him.

However when hare reached the next valley, there was tortoise ahead of him again. Hare ran and ran, leaving tortoise behind a third time. He was gasping for breath by the time he reached the third valley, after passing tortoise yet again at the top of the hill. But there was that feather yet once more, traveling just as fast as it could up the fourth slope.

Hare was determined, so he gathered his last remnant of strength and sprinted to the top of the fourth hill. As he rounded the last corner, he had to brake to a halt in shock. There, sitting by the stake of the finishing line was tortoise, waving his white feather proudly. He'd won the race."

Michelangelo had kept going when she shut her eyes. Now Calley was breathing a little more deeply than before, as what small amount of rest that could be attained came over her. The orange-masked turtle grinned to himself, and then turned back around to face the computer. It looked like he was going to be forced to finish that hand after-all.

* * *

Around 3:45 it was the red-banded turtle who actually woke _her _up this time. She'd been trembling violently, her breath coming in short gasps as if she'd been running hard. She only opened one eye at first, and shrank away from the turtle's hand.

"Calley, it's okay." Raphael assured her. "It's just me, I'm not gonna hurt you. It didn't seem like you were going to a good place there, I want to make sure you slow down."

Her breathing didn't exactly improve, but her head did raise a couple more inches to look at him, then silently receded to the bed without saying a word.

"Doc says you should be getting a lot of water." Raphael told her. "You wanna try this again?"

He moved toward her with a sport bottle, but she didn't respond to it this time. As he was starting to put it down, her brown eyes focused clearly on his.

"I need it." She said firmly, and he started to offer her water again. Calley only shook her head. "No. Not that."

That statement only made _him_ shake his head. "You're gettin' off it Calley. You said that was what you wanted, and we're going to help you do it."

"You don't understand. I _need_ it."

"You think you do, but it won't last this way. Just keep telling yourself that."

"I'll never be free of it. Never. You don't know. It takes hold, it gets you, and it never lets go." She said haltingly.

"That's not true - people get off drugs. They just have to stick with it, and that's exactly what you're going to do."

"I'm not them, I'm not strong. I can't do this, I can't. Dying would be better."

"Maybe it'd be easier in the short-run, but it's sure not better." Raphael disagreed. "Not with your old man still hanging around, trying to wake up. You think I'm gonna let him come around, only to find out that he's lost you for good? Nope, not gonna happen."

"My father doesn't need me - he doesn't need me like I need this."

"He loves you, and for that reason alone, I wouldn't let you go right now. I don't care how much you beg me girl, you're not getting it, and you're not getting out of here."

"You have no right--"

"To protect you? I do actually. See, your old man is more than a friend, he's a lifesaver. He risked his own for me and my brothers, would have died to save us if he had to. So as much as I'd like to help save you from yourself _anyway_, I owe that much to him too."

"You don't know what it's like."

"No, you're right there. But you're still not getting it." He replied to the brimming tears in her eyes. "You're gonna make it Calley, I promise you are. We'll make sure of it."

Brown eyes faltered, and stared up at the ceiling in a more unfocused manner. "Traded one prison for another." She muttered under her breath.

"What prison?" Raphael grasped onto what she'd said. "Who had you? Who hurt you Calley?"

She remained unblinking overhead, as though fixated now on something that he couldn't see, her body now quaking harder. "It's so cold in here, just like there." She strained.

Calley flinched slightly as the turtle rested the back of a palm against her cheek, testing the temperature of her skin. It was hot, despite the proclamation of being cold. Raphael tried to wrap the blankets around her better, as her breath caught in her chest once more.

"I won't make it through this." She wavered. "I never have. It'll get worse, and then worse...this is _nothing_."

"Maybe you didn't get through it because you didn't have enough help, or you didn't really want it that badly. But you want it this time, you want to get clean for your dad, don't you?" Raphael persisted.

"What difference does it make? I was already dead to him, and my mom, s-she..." The young woman trailed off as sudden anger took over her features. "She can go to hell, and I can go to hell, and he'll be better off on his own."

"I don't think he should have to go through that." Raphael said quietly. "And he's not going to, not if we have anything to say about it. So you can cry, or yell, or get mad if you have to. But the only way through this is to go through it."


	27. The Longest Day

*** I've heard over and over again that the ordeal of heroin withdrawal is a hell that has to be experienced to even understand. I'm told it's like taking the worst flu you've ever had - then you times that by ten, and add in crushing depression and sometimes suicidal despair. I've done my best to portray what I know nothing about from a personal experience. I've tried to make it a little easier to swallow, but I'm not going to sugar-coat it completely either. I have no intention of taking you through the **_**entire**_** process, but only to grant a glimpse of it. So now...back to it. Oh yeah, and "Let It Be" belongs to the Beatles, as if you didn't know that already. :)**

* * *

Calley woke up exhausted close to 8 in the morning. The cycle of sickness, of throwing up and needing the bathroom had started with a vengeance, the violence of it already taking somewhat of a toll on her body all on its' own. It was all she could do to even tell the purple-banded turtle that she needed the bathroom, and without his help, she never would have made it anyway.

He'd just gotten her settled back down in bed again when her body was seized in another round of abdominal cramps, the worst she'd felt yet so far. Calley was already on the brink of tears again as it was, as hopeless desperation clawed miserably at her mind. The firm depression had taken strong root within her, and was sapping any present desire that she had to keep fighting.

She would never be free, could never be free of it. Even breathing seemed like an empty task - there was no purpose in it. The only thing that could make her happy, that could remotely satisfy her mind's demands, was the thing she hated more than anything else. But it didn't change the fact that she wanted it. Even trying not to think about it was an impossibility. It was all-consuming, and it wouldn't even grant her a real moment's rest at a time.

The light pressure of a hand on her shoulder startled her out of reflection, to make eye contact with Donatello. He was trying to get her to drink something - but thirst was so insignificant. She shifted slightly away from him, but the turtle wasn't so easily dissuaded.

"This is important Calley. It's only going to get harder if you dehydrate, and I know you don't really want to be on an IV. That's going to be your only choice if you don't start getting water down again." Donatello told her very patiently.

"Why are you bothering so much with me?" She had to ask him. "I'm nothing, my life is nothing. Why does it matter if it's over?"

"You're_ not _nothing." He countered firmly. "I know you don't believe that right now, but you'll see. Just hang in there, and I swear it will get better Calley. Now what's it going to be? Do I need to set you up on an IV, or are you going to start drinking again?"

Mutely she closed down on the straw from the sports bottle, and took a couple of sips just to satisfy him.

He shook his head at her. "Keep going." He encouraged her. "You need more than that. You're losing a whole lot more than you're taking in."

She raised her chin a couple more inches, and took down a little over a quarter of the bottle at his insistance over a few minutes time.

"That's a start." He told her. "But we have to keep going, every hour or so."

Calley collapsed from the effort, but she didn't sleep. No matter how exhausted she was, it would elude her today. The young woman stared off into the distance, not really focusing upon the room she was lying in at that moment. She was quiet for a time, not bothering to complain anymore about how cold it was. There wasn't anything that could penetrate the bone-chilling cold that had settled over her so strongly since the night before.

Donatello kept half an eye on her, even as he made another notation about what she'd had to drink that time. He glanced up when he heard someone coming, and smiled at the raven-haired woman walking into the room.

She cast him a smile of her own as she offered him his second cup of coffee for that morning, and then glanced down at Calley.

The young woman didn't seem to take notice of her, so Jenna grabbed another desk chair to sit down by Donatello. She, Luke, and Karina had been avoiding most conscious contact with her, as their presence only seemed to increase her anxiety.

"How's the arm feeling?" She asked Donatello softly.

"Hm? Oh, it's fine." The turtle reassured her. "I'm being careful with the stitches.

Jenna was about to ask him something else, when Calley broke out of her semi-catatonic state. Her face screwed up with concentration and she shut brown eyes tightly, as she tried hard to remember the words, the words she wanted to remember so badly at that instant.

"...speaking words...let it be." Her voice was barely audible, but her frustration seemed to be growing in intensity.

"What is it Calley?" Donny asked her at once.

"Song. I can't remember." She burst into harder tears at that, trembling openly.

Jenna got up with some hesitation, and came to the younger woman's side. Her brown eyes locked on her for a few seconds, and she didn't immediately recoil from Jenna, emboldening the woman to stay close. Taking a small breath, she started to sing to her.

_"When I find myself in times of trouble,_

_Mother Mary comes to me_

_Speaking words of wisdom, let it be._

_And in my hour of darkness_

_She is standing right in front of me_

_Speaking words of wisdom, let it be._

_***_

_Let it be, let it be_

_Let it be, let it be_

_Whisper words of wisdom, let it be._

_***_

_And when the broken hearted people_

_Living in this world agree_

_There will be an answer, let it be._

_For though they may be parted_

_There is still a chance that they will see_

_There will be an answer, let it be._

_***_

_Let it be, let it be_

_Let it be, let it be_

_There will be an answer, let it be._

_***_

_And when the night is cloudy_

_There is still a light that shines on me_

_Shine on till tomorrow, let it be._

_I wake up to the sound of music_

_Mother Mary comes to me_

_Speaking words of wisdom, let it be..."_

Jenna's hand lightly clasped Calley, who made no response at first. But as she'd continued to sing, Calley actually returned her grip a little bit, even though the tremors didn't stop.

* * *

Hours passed, and the temperature fluctuations kicked in to the extreme. One minute she was freezing, only to be almost unbearably hot the next. Luke's visits had increased in frequency as her own physical symptoms picked up, and her blood pressure continued to rise. By mid-afternoon she wasn't drinking anymore, but the necessary trips to the bathroom hadn't slowed down either. With Donatello's calm assurance and steady hand, the turtle had managed to get an IV into her somewhat sad vein structure. It was clear that she didn't like it, but she barely even had the energy left to fight it.

Time and again the Lab would pass out of her sight, and she would think that she was back in Shirou's quarters. Her hand reached listlessly for the nail that wasn't there, grasping for the opportunity to end the torment. It wasn't worth this, living couldn't be worth it. The thought of dying kept returning with intensity, and with it tears of helplessness because she couldn't physically carry out the act on her own.

The blue-banded turtle had been there since the early afternoon, and offered his own calm composure in addition to Donatello's while she'd been hooked up to the IV unit. She wasn't really talking now, except during the periods when she seemed to be phasing in and out of actual reality. The repetition of the japanese word for "Master" had Leonardo disturbed, and often trying to comfort her when she cried out in fear.

The minute hand on the clock hardly seemed to move, as the hours dragged by like years. He'd just helped her go to the bathroom again, when desperate sobs shook her entire frame again. The blue-banded turtle held onto her a little firmly as she quaked on the verge of hysteria.

"I can't..." Her voice wavered with it. "Just make it stop. I'm not worth all this, let me die." She begged him.

Leonardo gathered her back up completely to put her back in the bed, without responding to the statement, to the same plea that he'd already heard several times from her.

"I can't go back." She told him. "Do you understand? I'm too far gone."

"I don't believe that." He said coolly.

"But you don't know me. You don't know what I've done, what I did. If I could change it, if I could go back....but it's too late. It's too late for me, that's why I can't." She stammered to him.

"It's not too late Calley. You made the decision on your own to get clean, nobody did that for you. That alone tells me that there's hope for you. You don't see it right this second, but you will." He replied.

"Where are you?" She murmured hazily, sounding further away from him all of the sudden.

Tentatively he reached for her arm, hating the sight of the track-marks from her long-term usage. He turned away from them and focused on her hand instead, fighting to keep his voice steady for her. "I'm right here."

"Please don't leave me. He'll get me if you do."

"No one's going to get you Calley. But I'm staying, I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Leonardo rejected his brother's offers to relieve him, opting to stay up with her throughout the night. She alternated between reality and hallucinations, crying an unfamiliar name more than moment of lucidity began with the young woman assuring herself that Leonardo was in fact still present. Leonardo had long ago completely removed his blades from the room, lest they compound an already existing problem with things that she was seeing.

It was a sleepless night for both of them, as the blue-banded turtle stayed alert to every single small movement on her part, and each little sound that she made. It was a couple of hours before dawn now, and her body had been in the throes of severe cramping pain for several minutes. She hadn't been completely aware of Leonardo through them, but as the episode lifted slightly, she was drawn back to his gaze.

_I've got to look like such a helpless idiot to him. Someone just needs to put me out of __everyone's__ misery. _

Yet the look in his dark eyes wasn't judgemental or even patronizing, an emotion she'd become extremely familiar with during her stay in the hospital. This look was completely different, and she couldn't exactly identify what it was behind it. An overwhelming urge to get sick came over her, and she turned to throw up in the trash can that was there for that purpose.

It was nothing more than dry heaves by now, but that didn't mean she could anymore control it. She felt Leonardo's hand drawing blond hair back protectively from her face, holding it softly until she started to flop back down on the pillow.

"It's so not worth this." She mumbled to him.

"One day, you'll feel differently Calley." He replied.


	28. The Light that Shines

Calley fell asleep for about half an hour around 5am, and woke back up with a small buoyancy to her mood that she hadn't expected to feel. The shaky/queasy feeling remained, but a part of the depression had lifted however slightly, enough that she didn't have the same crushing sensation that had been bearing down on her for hours.

The blue-banded turtle's chin was resting in one hand, and both eyes were closed, but the posture of his back told Calley that he wasn't actually asleep.

"Leonardo?" She called softly, as she drew herself up a couple of inches on one elbow.

The turtle sat further upright immediately, making a sound that struck her as if he'd actually been close to dozing a little bit. "Hey. Can I get you something?" He asked, now completely awake.

She nodded her head. "I'm just thirsty."

Leonardo retrieved the sports bottle from the fridge, and held onto it for her while she got some of it down.

"You really stayed," She commented. "Why did you do that?"

"You asked me to." He replied, fussing slightly over one of the blankets that was falling partially off the bed.

She was forced to lay back down from the dizzy sensation that even sitting up created. But as she settled back down, she suddenly noticed the music that was playing quietly in the background for the first time. Calley strained to listen to the words more carefully, and then nodded her head again. "Let it be." She said out loud curiously.

"Jen said that you wanted to remember it." Leonardo replied to her.

"My dad, he used to sing that. It was...it was our song." She said wistfully, as another wave of emotion assaulted her. "I've really screwed things up. You don't even know how badly."

"You have good memories of you and your dad?" The turtle intentionally tried to turn the subject in a better direction.

"My dad...gosh, he was the one thing that I could always count on, that I never had to question. He was there for me, almost all the time. And when he couldn't be because of work, I still knew that he cared. He didn't deserve this - _she_ didn't deserve him." The young woman finished more emphatically.

"She?" Leonardo repeated.

"My Mom." She answered a little shortly. "She wasn't worthy of him, but still I never..."

Calley trailed off from the statement, burying her face somewhat in the pillow. "I knew. I knew she was cheating for years, and I didn't tell him. I came so close to it, a bunch of times. But I was afraid of...I guess part of me kept hoping she'd wake up, and everything would be okay. But it never got any better, only worse. She blindsided him, she was such a good liar. I guess I had to learn it from somewhere. And then when she left..." Calley hesitated, as she tried to swallow down a portion of the emotion so that she could continue easier. "When she left, all that guilt of hiding things from him for years...I couldn't live with it. I couldn't even look at him. Every day, it reminded me. Every day I was living my betrayal over again. And he was trying so hard to reach out to me, that it only made it worse."

She had to pause for a few more seconds before going on. "Nobody plans to become this person Leonardo." She said stoically. "At the time, I wasn't even thinking about what he could be feeling. It was all about my own guilt and shame. Finding a way to cover up some of that, I thought it was the answer. And then leaving was the answer, because it was too intense. I hated myself so much for what I allowed that woman to put him through, and I hated_ her _for leaving, for abandoning us."

Calley shook her head slightly. "When she left, people felt sorry for me like I was a victim. But I'm not Leonardo, I never was. My dad's the one who always had to suffer, and I'm the one who made choices. I chose to run, and I chose to abuse. I chose to throw my life away, and now I really don't think that I can get it back, no matter how hard I try."

"But you made another choice too Calley." He finally said when she got quiet. "You chose to get off it. And needing help to do it, there's no shame in that." Leonardo said evenly. "One day at a time, you're going to get your life back. Things might not feel normal for a long time, but little by little...you'll let it back."

"I don't know." She whispered. "But I have to talk to him again, if nothing else. He needs to know how sorry I am. Not just for the past, but _now_." Calley said faintly, closing her eyes as her legs involuntarily spasmed beneath her.

One of her hands gripped the side of the mattress very hard, as if releasing a portion of the tension from the pain along with it. As a whimper escaped her, the turtle carefully placed one hand on top of hers.

"This isn't the end Calley. You'll see him again, you'll get the chance to tell him. You'll get through this."

She opened her eyes again, sighing quietly as she felt sweat forming on her forehead, another wave of heat. "And...and when the night is cloudy, there's still a light that shines on me." She spoke haltingly, along with the words that were repeating in the background track.

"That's right." Leonardo told her. "All the darkness and all the clouds in the world can't hide it forever."

* * *

Brandon wandered out of the room he'd only recently moved into, not surprised to find that the apartment was empty. Marcus had mentioned that he might not be coming home at all last night, and sure enough, it didn't look like he had. It was a strange feeling walking around someone else's kitchen, almost feeling like he was an invader.

_I'm not going to be able to do this for very long - I've got to find my own place. Of course, I won't be able to afford anything near this location, but that's why God invented the suburbs I guess._

He punched the button on the coffeemaker a little harder than he intended to, immediately chiding himself for the force of it. _Don't take your frustrations out on someone else's stuff. That's what the gym is for._

As he waited impatiently for the coffee to brew, the heaviness of the silence started to weigh down on him once more. He thought that he'd gotten used to being alone - there had been a time in his life when he actually relished in the lack of distractions. Despite the contacts he had through work and Tai Kwon Do, he usually spent most of his free time made it easier to train, easier to focus, and didn't tangle him up in many complications.

For some reason being this close to his sisters, and yet too angry to actually be with them was compounding the lonliness to an a level he didn't typically have to deal with. Deep down he knew they weren't trying to hurt him - but the fact remained that he _was_ hurt, more discouraged and frustrated than he'd felt in a long time. That it was a matter that both women had been diligently keeping from him was making it harder to swallow.

Part of him wanted to know what was so important, why they'd asked him to come in the first place. But the larger part of him was still inwardly fuming at the thought that his sisters didn't trust him, when he'd done absolutely nothing to deserve it. Brandon had liked Luke the first time he met him, and sincerely believed that the doctor would be good for Katherine. At the time he had a feeling that it was Luke's influence that had drawn an already distant Katherine into calling _him_, and professing the desire to be more real with him about her life.

Now he found himself questioning what they could all be possibly tied up in, and what exactly Luke's role in it was. While he didn't believe that his sisters would get mired down in anything on the wrong side of the line, he was still disturbed greatly by the pains of secrecy that they'd taken.

The sound of the coffeemaker brewing drew him out of reflection, back to the stranger's kitchen that he was standing in. As he started to remove the carafe, his phone rang on the counter-top. Brandon glanced at the facing and recognized the number. He put the coffee-pot back down, but then left the phone exactly where it was lying.

_I'm not ready to talk to you yet Karina. Just leave it alone._

* * *

She'd tried to talk herself out of calling him that early, but was almost helpless to keep her fingers from dialing the number. He didn't answer (again), and she sighed softly as she replaced her phone. He had to talk to her sometime - he just had to.

Karina drew both legs up underneath her on the couch, and cast Raphael a glance as the red-banded turtle was trotting down the stairs.

"Hey. How long have you been up?" He asked her.

"Up, or awake?" She asked ruefully. "Quite awhile."

Karina forced a smile for the turtle, but he could_ tell _that it was forced. The woman had always worn her emotions on her sleeve, making her a terrible faker no matter how hard she tried.

"So what's going on?" He asked knowingly.

"Nothing." She said flatly. "He still won't answer my calls."

"Kari, it's only been a couple of days. You should give him a little more time. I know it's hard, but if you push him too hard, he might go the other direction even faster." Raphael tried to say carefully.

"I know I should listen to you." She said morosely. "I just can't get it out of my head. When I have this kind of issue with someone, it keeps rolling around and rolling around in my mind, until I finally deal with it. And it's not being dealt with Raph. I honestly don't know what I'd say to him even if he did answer the phone at this point. But that would be better than having him ignore me." Karina finished uncertainly.

The turtle sat down on the couch beside her, tugging lightly on the draped across the back of the furniture. "You need a method Kari, some kind of outlet. It doesn't make everything automatically okay, but at least it helps you deal with the tension, gives it someplace to go." He told her.

"I'm the _opposite _of you Raph. When I get like this...it's like I have no energy, almost no will to do anything. I don't want to lose my brother." She added more quietly, as if it were an after-thought.

"He's not dead Karina, you haven't lost him." Raphael said firmly. "Let him have his space, and I'd wager he'll look you up on his own. He'll be back, mark my words."


	29. Lucky

Two Days Later

* * *

Calley had actually had about two uninterrupted hours of sleep, when Donatello rose from the desk to stretch his own legs. Leonardo had been insisting on carrying a lot of the load through the overnight hours, but he was exhausting himself at the same time. The purple-banded turtle had wheedled him out of the room around 12:30, and planted himself to keep watch over the young woman through the night.

Her symptoms had far from stopped, but the level of intensity had decreased somewhat every day from their peak level. She was still miserable, still unable to eat or even sleep consistently, but enough of the anxiety had tapered off that everyone felt a little more comfortable breathing in her presence again.

It was almost 6am now, and Donatello had gotten through the night without having any serious issues. He'd only just climbed to his feet when there was a light knock at the door, as if on some kind of cue. He walked silently over to it, and found Luke waiting outside. The turtle motioned to him for quiet, and stepped outside to join him.

"She's been asleep for awhile, and I don't want to do anything to jinx that." Donatello told him. "What's going on Doc?"

"Tim's waking up. His progress has been a little slow, but he started responding to outward stimuli this morning." Luke said, as he couldn't keep a smile off his face.

Donatello pumped one fist along with a deep breath of relief. "God bless America. Do they have any kind of updated prognosis on him yet?"

"It's just a waiting game Donny, that and watching for infection. He's got a lot of healing to do, and he's going to be more susceptible to certain kinds of bacterial issues now that's functioning without his spleen. But I'd rather focus on the positives right now - let's just be happy that he's coming around." Luke tried to sound encouraging, as he rested one hand on the turtle's shell. "Are you ready to get some sleep of your own?"

"I'm getting there Doc. It wasn't that difficult of a night - I'm glad Leo went to bed. I know he feels responsible for her, but he can't shoulder everything independently." Donatello replied.

"No, that's for sure. It's interesting how she's really taken up with the four of you."

"My theory is that we're something new and different, in a world that's probably been the same torture day in and day out, for God only knows how long." Donny mused in return.

"Why don't you trade me spots Donny? I'll sit, and you get some sleep." Luke suggested.

When the turtle hesitated for an instant, Luke knew what he was thinking, and ended up pointing him toward the couch. "Stay close by. That way if she does get upset on me, you won't have very far to come. What do you say?"

"I say...okay. I'll be out here Doc."

* * *

Luke took the time he had waiting around in the Lab to go over Donatello's notes on the chemical compound, that had been inserted in their systems a few days earlier. He already had the running tally on components he needed to acquire for the turtle, but now was as good a time as any to perform more analysis on how the individual parts combined together.

His own background in chemistry had come in handy quite a few times through the years. Donatello was the brains behind practically every new formula that they developed together, but Luke also had a strong hand to play in the creation and testing phases as well. He didn't like the chemical make-up that was on the screen in front of him, but Donatello was right. The best defense against it would be a good offense - and they needed to get started on the recreation as soon as was feasible.

So Luke was carefully pouring over what Donatello had written, as well as taking down his own thoughts and notations on another sheet of paper. He'd been at it for nearly forty-five minutes when he heard Calley stirring, and immediately dropped his pen. He tensed slightly as the young woman turned her head, and focused dark brown eyes on him. She didn't say anything at once, but she didn't flip out either. Luke figured that was probably a plus.

"Good morning." He said evenly, resisting the urge to ask her how she felt. That matter might not even be up for discussion as far as she was concerned.

"Luke?" She said questioningly, and sat up just a little further on her side to get a better look at the man.

"You've got me. It's nice to see that you're getting some sleep." He commented.

"Is that what Donatello's doing?" She asked, after looking around for the turtle.

"Yeah, I sent him almost an hour ago. But he's close by, I can grab him, or somebody else if you want." He offered.

She shook her head vaguely. "No, it's okay."

Luke rolled his chair closer, somewhat emboldened by her calm demeanor. "I talked to my friend Marcus awhile ago. He's been at the hospital most of this time, waiting around on your dad. There's good news on that end of things, he's starting to come around." Luke told her.

Tears hit her eyes in an instant, and she exhaled sharply. "He's going to be alright?"

"There shouldn't be any lasting damage. He'll be somewhat inhibited from fighting future infections, but there are things to assist in that matter as well. Coming around is the important thing, and his awareness levels are definitely increasing." He encouraged her.

The young woman turned to face the ceiling. "I've been so distracted, so bogged down in all of this...I still haven't given him nearly the thought that I should have. Could I get any more awful than this?"

"I don't think you're honestly responsible for everything that's gone through your head over the last couple of days Calley. But can you tell me what's going on _now_?" He decided to try and ask.

"It's not gone." She said bluntly. "But it's not as bad either. When do you think that I can eat?"

"When you feel up to it." He replied. "We'd have to start you off real easy, but it's better than just running you on an IV."

"You were never going to hurt me." She said.

He couldn't tell if she was talking to herself or him, but it didn't stop him from answering. "No Calley, I wasn't."

"I'm sorry." She said weakly. "I know it's been ugly...to put it mildly."

"We all knew it wasn't going to be easy." Luke said. "I'm just relieved that you're feeling any better at all."

"Can I ask you...about the um...the..."

"Turtles?" Luke filled in for her, and she ducked her head a little shyly.

"I don't know if it's rude, or...but I have to ask. What are they? Where did they come from?"

"They underwent a transformation very early on in their lives, which resulted in the physical forms that you see today. Many of their attributes are similar to a human, but they're clearly unique in several others. The differences are mostly outward...on the inside, they're pretty much just like you and I."

"No, they're not." She countered. "There's something _very _different about all of them. It's been so long since anyone treated me like a person, since I felt...safe. Why do I feel that with them?"

"It could be a number of things," Luke replied to her. "But it likely returns to their own personal character, or their motivation. The turtles _are_ special Calley, and they possess strength and abilities that far outweigh the common person that you run into. They use that power for good, they have their entire lives. People come first - that's the way it is with them. Regardless of who, what, where...if they have the ability to help someone, they will.

It's kind of the sum of their life's work, saving...gosh, probably thousands of people, with no recognition for almost any of it. But that's not why they do it anyway."

"So what you're saying is, they put themselves at risk, and expect nothing in return."

"That's pretty much how it works."

"Yeah, they're definitely not like us." Calley said even more confidently than before. "How does my father know them?"

"Your dad got mixed up in something by accident last year. It was junk that had absolutely nothing to do with him, but it honestly could have gotten him killed. He was kidnapped by a genuine mad-man, who also had a hold of one of the turtles at the time, Raphael. When his brothers came to rescue him, they saved your dad too."

"Raphael...he was talking before like they owed my father something."

"Tim stuck his neck out for them a couple of months back, would have done whatever he had to to help them. But that's kind of a long story, and better told by more than one person."

Calley looked at him as if she were still thinking deeply, and then ventured ahead. "I saw that um...the other woman with Raphael yesterday, briefly." She remarked.

"Karina?" Luke suggested, and the young woman nodded.

"Yeah, I guess that was it. It almost looked, well sort of like...they were really close."

Luke understood what she was trying to ask, without her being forced to voice it. "Yes." He answered. "They're together."

"Then Donatello, and that singer?"

"Jenna." Luke added for her. "And it's a 'yes' on that count too."

What was an actual smile graced Calley's features for the first time that Luke had ever seen it. "I think that's...I think it's amazing. That it doesn't dissuade them, they can look beyond the...the unique exterior."

"If you talk to Jenna or Karina, they'd tell you that _they're_ the lucky ones Calley." Luke commented smoothly. "Someone like these guys...I don't think they come along twice every thousand years."

_No, I seriously doubt that_, she added inwardly in her own mind. _Lucky indeed_.

Her brown eyes didn't quite look at him, as she laid her head back down tiredly.


	30. One Step

It was a little over 24 hours later before Tim had enough control of his faculties to carry on somewhat of a conversation, and even then, he didn't remember what had happened. He'd been vaguely aware of Victoria several times as he faded in and out of time and space, struggling to regain his footing on reality.

Just now he was staring unabashedly at the woman while she dozed in the nearby chair, her chin supported by one hand that had to be falling asleep. It had been so long since he'd let himself get into close proximity with another woman. But then, Victoria wasn't just any woman. Tim was enjoying just watching her sleep, but when he noticed her twitch, he decided not to waste the opportunity.

"Vic?" He called as strongly as he could manage at the moment.

Her eyes opened with a bit of a start, muted auburn hair bouncing as she craned her neck back in his direction. The woman smiled, and it could have been that angels had broken out into song.

"Tim." She replied, barely able to maintain an even tone that was competing severely with her excitement.

"Thank you." He stated, as she scooted to the very edge of her chair to get closer to him.

"For what?" She asked at once.

"For being _you_." He said pointedly.

He hated that he was stuck in this bed, hardly able to move, let alone do what he really wanted to. He and Victoria had traveled this particular path carefully, neither taking a truly aggressive role. Both had loved someone else deeply, only to be cut off by tragedy or abandonment. Timothy had used Jenna as a partial excuse in his own mind for taking things slowly, reasoning that he didn't want to alienate the young woman.

Inside, he knew that his hesitation had more to do with his fear, and the lack of trust that he still felt concerning his own judgement. Looking back, the signs that Sharon was cheating had been there, he just hadn't seen fit to notice them at the time. In light of everything, he'd been extremely frustrated with himself for being blind to it, as if he could have salvaged what was left of the marriage if he'd acted soon enough.

But his marriage to Sharon wasn't exactly what he wanted to think about this second, not with the kind-hearted angel of a woman that was presently sitting mere inches away from him. He cursed his inability to get up, and simply draw her to himself the way he desired.

Victoria seemed not only to sense his frustration, but also knew what it was referring to, so she bridged the gap of inches that remained between them herself. As if in slow motion she leaned over the man, and kissed him softly on the lips. His breath caught in his throat as he raised his head a couple more inches, longing only to return it.

A long fingered hand alighted on his cheek, soft tips barely applying any real pressure on his skin. She kissed him a little more strongly than before, her own particular scent lingering with him as she met him a second time.

"Vic," He said out loud when he could. "This feels like a dream."

She reached down to take one his hands, lightly clasping it in her own. "I wish parts of it were," She said thoughtfully. "But not this part." Victoria added.

"No, I don't want that either." He agreed, voice still hardly registering.

* * *

Later that morning, Timothy got to make the phone call that he'd been thinking about since the night before, the moment he'd been coherent enough to understand that Calley was alright, and presently in hiding. He'd been in something of a panic when he hadn't been able to understand what had happened to him, or where she was. Now with some help from Victoria holding the phone and dialing, he was desperate to make a connection with his daughter again.

Luke answered his phone, and was pleased to hear Tim on the other end. "I knew it wouldn't take you long," The doctor told him, unable to hide the smile that was in his own voice. "And I bet I'm not the one you _really_ want to talk to."

"I do want to catch up Luke, but if you don't mind, I would very much like to speak with my daughter." He answered.

"I figured as much. Hold on a second." Luke replied, as he carried the phone into the Lab where Calley still was.

The young woman was sitting up, slowly sipping some as of yet unidentified substance from a steaming mug. Leonardo had only just brought it for her, and assumed his normal position in the desk chair to the side of her.

"Calley, I've got your dad." Luke announced as he came in.

She shifted so fast that it looked like she was going to lose the mug, and Leonardo instantly reached to take it from her. The blue-banded turtle shot Luke a glance, and then got to his own feet.

"I'm just going to make sure that this stays hot. I'll be back." The turtle told Calley, merely making an excuse to leave and give her privacy to talk to Timothy.

Calley's free hand ran nervously through jaggedly cut blond hair, anxiety making the intermittent cramping in her legs suddenly feel more pronounced. "Hi Dad." She finally said, unable to maintain the composure of her tone.

"Honey. It's so good to hear your voice." He told her with obvious relief.

"Please don't be nice to me, it's only going to make this harder." She choked somewhat on the words. "Dad, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Everything that happened, those men that night, they were there for _me. _I'm the one who--"

"Calley." He interrupted before she could get any father. "I'll give you plenty of time to explain yourself, if that's what you feel you need to do. But right now, I just want to tell you that I love you, and I'm glad you're alright."

"I love you too. That's why I have to say this, I have to tell you that I'm sorry. I never meant for you to be hurt." She hesitated for an instant as tears overcame her. "I've hurt you over and over. You don't deserve that, and I don't deserve you. I don't expect anything from you either, that I can ever be in your life like it was before. I'm just so sorry for everything."

"Calley." He repeated, more firmly than before. "What's gone is gone. What matters to me is right _now_. Do you want to stay clean? Are you ready to settle in for the long trip? I know it's not going to be easy, but you're not alone in this. You don't ever have to be again, but it means you have to let me in. You have to _let_ me help you. Losing you, it broke my heart worse than anything ever has. And I don't want to lose you again. Please tell me that you're finished, tell me that you're ready to live." He verily pleaded.

"I don't want it anymore Dad. Well, I do...but I don't. I hate it, even while I'm still craving it. I need to tell you about that night though, about those men showing up. It's my fault, all of it. I called him, I told him how he could find me. I wanted that fix so bad, I couldn't see past the gratification to the danger I was putting _both_ of us in. I know that you can't trust me, and I don't expect you too. I'm sorry." She couldn't help saying again.

"I want you to try and forget that night, and put as much of the past out of your mind as you possibly can Calley. Pretend like that part of you is dead. I want you in my life, and I want to be there for you. But you have to be willing to trust_ me_, and promise me that you're going to keep fighting this."

"I'm trying Dad, I am. This is the farthest I've gotten from it ever since I started so heavily. But it's not that simple to pretend like none of it happened."

"I didn't say you could do that. What I mean is...you can't go forward and backward at the same time. If you're going to get well, it means you're going to have to start working on forgiving yourself too."

* * *

Leonardo came back into the room somewhat tentatively, after Calley had called Luke's name for the man to come and get the phone back from her. Her expression was a little bit lost, and he was having a hard time deciphering what kind of emotion was behind it. He chose not to say anything for the moment, letting her taste the tea in her own contemplative silence. It had been nearly ten minutes before she finally looked at Leonardo, fidgeting a little uncomfortably.

"I don't know if I can be normal again." She told him honestly. "It's so messed up, it still feels kind of hopeless inside. How do I even start to change everything that's so wrong with me?"

The blue-banded turtle contemplated his words carefully. "Many transformations don't happen all at once Calley, it's a process. It takes place over time. Don't put some impossible expectations on yourself. You'll only be setting yourself up for worse discouragement."

"Where do I go from here?" She mused.

"You take one step at a time, one day at a time. Don't try to run too far ahead, or make one giant leap. You can get through this. You can. Don't focus on how far you think you need to travel. Just take one small step at a time." He replied.


	31. Cutting

Calley ventured forth from the Lab that afternoon, for the first time since her ordeal had begun. She still felt a little shaky on her feet, but by now she was longing for a real shower. As she took her time underwater today, she couldn't help but think back to a few days ago, when her "impending doom" had been the only thing consuming her mind. Now she was still being pulled in a number of directions, though grateful that a portion of that old burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

Getting off of it to start was said to be the hardest part for some people - but _staying_ off of it could prove to be an even more daunting task. Calley still didn't have very much energy as it was, and the mental output alone seemed to be making her feel wearier of it all. She was also hungry. How long had it been since she was actually aware of that sensation? She couldn't remember.

Somewhat reluctantly, Calley shut off the water, not because she really wanted to stop, but because her very bones were aching to sit back down again. She put on some of the clothes that had been left for her once more, and forced a glance in the mirror. It was a sense of deja vu to be in this same spot as before. She rifled both hands through the hopeless mess of blond hair, and shook her head at her reflection in the mirror.

"You're a piece of work." She muttered aloud, and jumped slightly when there was a knock at the door.

"Calley? Are you decent in there?" One of the females called to her. There was no accent, so it had to be the other woman.

"Uh huh." She shot back a little absent-mindedly, and busied herself trying to towel-dry what was left of her hair.

Karina opened the bathroom door with a long-sleeved shirt over one arm. "It stays pretty cool down here, even in the summer. I thought this might work for you too." She offered to her.

Calley set her towel down for a moment, and took it from her. "Thanks." She replied, and glanced straight ahead so that she caught a glimpse of Karina's reflection in the mirror as well as her own. The woman was easily one of the most beautiful that she'd ever seen, and it made it that much more difficult to even stand to see _herself_. Tears of shame rose unexpectedly, as she turned away from it.

Karina hesitantly reached out toward her, and Calley only flinched a little when the woman touched her shoulder.

"I can't stand it." She said brokenly. "What I've done, what _he_ did...it's never going to be the same. I'll never be who I was. This is all that suits me now." She finished, shaking still wet stray hair out of her eyes.

Karina looked at her wordlessly for a moment, and then drew Calley's chin back toward her. "Well...I can't work miracles. But I could probably do something to fix what that idiot started on you. Do you think you'd trust me enough to try?"

Calley nodded, however slightly.

"Okay, don't dry it anymore. I'll grab a chair and a couple of other things, then we can see what there is to work with." Karina said encouragingly.

Calley was quiet as the woman combed it out for her, and then hemmed and hawed for a couple of minutes over what she could try.

"Have you ever worn a bang before?" Karina asked her suddenly.

"Not since I was in second grade. What are you thinking about it?"

"It's going to _have_ to be short, but it's possible that I could create the illusion of more length going with something like a fringed bang. It's a big change, not everyone can handle it. But your face has the right kind of structure...I actually think it would suit your features. What do you say?"

"I don't have any idea what to do myself, and anything's better than leaving it how it is." Calley stated. "Just um...go ahead. Do whatever you can for me."

Karina smiled reassuringly. "I've got your back girl. It's going to be alright."

* * *

"...No, I think that's too heavy." Leonardo said of the DVD that Raphael was holding up. "We need something...happier." He suggested.

"As long as no one's breaking out into song, you know I ain't that picky Fearless." Raphael grunted back. "Take another look, and you decide on something. Tiger needs to eat."

The red-banded turtle headed for the kitchen, as his orange and white cat trotted after him. Leonardo sifted through the small stack of DVD's that were on the coffee-table, and glanced up when he heard Donatello coming out of the Lab.

"You're just in time." Leo grinned. "Help me pick something here."

His younger brother shook his head at him. "You never make this decision on your own Leo. You can be decisive about so many things, why not this?"

"I can be decisive when it _matters_." The blue-banded turtle clarified. "But when it comes to these little things--"

The purple-banded turtle wasn't looking at him anymore. His attention had been drawn to the staircase, and he lightly punched Leonardo's shoulder to get his attention too. The older turtle looked over the back of the couch, and saw the young woman coming down the stairs. He had to do a swift double-take to recognize her completely, gasping quietly under his breath. When she got to the bottom her stance was awkward, and she didn't quite make eye contact with either of the turtles.

Leonardo got to his feet slowly, feeling a little floored by the change. "Wow, that looks...it's really cool. I like it a lot Calley."

"It's drastic." She replied. "I think I like it too, it's just still hard to see myself, especially in comparison."

Donatello cocked his head at her. "In comparison to what?" He asked.

"Anyone else." She answered wryly. "I've made such a disaster of myself, it's hard to believe anything there can be anything good about it."

The purple-banded turtle looked thoughtful for an instant, and then got to his own feet. "Hold on a minute. I'll be right back."

He returned from the Lab a few seconds later, a laptop now under his arm. The turtle took a few moments to set it up properly, and get logged onto the internet. Then Donatello motioned to Calley with his hand, pointing her to the couch.

"I think you need to see something, if it doesn't bother you. Your Dad has a lot of shots of you, stuff you might not even remember. But maybe it's time that you started to. Anyway, it's here if you want it." As he spoke, he snuck a furtive glance at Leonardo, noticing an interesting look in his older brother's eye. "I'm going to check on something, I'll be back."

Calley wasn't entirely certain if she could handle it, but the truth was that she _wanted_ the turtle beside her to be able to see beyond the exterior she'd created. So she edged forward nervously on the couch, and reached for the laptop that was in front of her. The correct page was already open for her to shift through, which she did slowly.

She was silent at first, her own gaze finally seeming to phase out a little bit from reality. "She had so much going for her." Calley spoke aloud of herself in the third person, peering then at one photo in particular with certain sadness.

"You danced?" Leonardo said curiously, concerning the leotard and interesting pose the picture contained.

"Ballet, until I was about sixteen. I wasn't a prodigy or anything, just kind of in the middle of the pack. But I loved it." She told him, the first hint of life entering back into her eyes. "And then I didn't. I guess you grow out of some things." She said faintly, but Leonardo wasn't completely buying it.

Calley didn't say anything else about it, simply began scrolling through pictures again. She paused once more over what was obviously a performance photo. The amount of passion and fire in her eyes actually blew the turtle away.

"I don't remember what that felt like." She said softly to Leonardo.

"You should have seen your eyes a couple of minutes ago." Leonardo assured her. "When you first said something about dancing. Trust me, part of you remembers."

He hesitated for a long moment, as she fussed a little awkwardly with the back of her short bob-cut, and the pointed back at the screen.

"_She_ is still in there Calley. I know you see what I see there. You may not believe it yet, but that doesn't change it either. She's beautiful, and she has all the potential in the world."

"Maybe she did." Calley answered.

"You still do." He said a little more bluntly than he'd intended to.

Calley sighed heavily as she reached to close the lid of it. "Leo..." She spoke a little wistfully, referring to the turtle by his often used nickname for the first time. "That girl isn't here. Whatever she had is long gone, and whatever's left is hardly worth acknowledging."

He didn't say anything for a moment, as he tried to picture his Sensei's voice. "I'm going to tell you something, and I hope that it doesn't take you years to believe it Calley. Your value, your worth as a person, it doesn't come from what you see outwardly. It also doesn't change because of your mistakes. That's why your Dad never gave up on you, and it's the same reason you can't give up on _yourself_. Regardless of what you've done, or haven't done...it doesn't take away from the value of your life. You might not be able to believe it right now, but it would do you good to tell yourself that anyway."

* * *

When Jenna returned from the hospital, she'd opted to bring back dinner with her for everyone, stopping by one of the guy's favorite hoagie shops before coming home. She took the time to properly comment on Calley's change, and then invited the young woman to come with her into the kitchen to help get drinks going.

"How does my dad look?" Calley asked her.

"He's got some color back. He's actually in pretty good spirits, even though he doesn't want to stay there, as much as he still needs to. He wants to see you Calley." Jenna replied.

"I want to see him too Jenna, I'm just not sure how to face him. Do they know how long he's going to be there?" Calley continued, only trying to shift the subject slightly.

"They're not giving us a time-line yet. He's still on powerful drugs to combat the infection risk, among other injuries that he's dealing with." Jenna told her as carefully as she could.

Calley held her gaze for a few seconds, before breaking away to return to the glasses. "I want to be there." She faltered. "I don't know how I'll handle it though. I'm not sure how to handle _anything_."

Jenna stopped what she was doing, so she could focus on Calley completely. "You're afraid to leave, aren't you?"

Calley didn't answer her, and picked up a couple of glasses instead. "I'm going to drop these off, and then I'll come back around for another trip." She told her.

As Calley slipped out of the kitchen, Jenna silently followed her part of the way. The young woman had stopped a couple of feet outside the kitchen door, and was standing slightly to the side and behind of where Leonardo and now Michelangelo were _still _working on nailing down a movie choice. Jenna peered at her closely, then followed Calley's gaze to where it was resting on the blue-banded turtle.

She only held it for a couple of seconds before snapping back to attention, and walking into the room to join the turtles. Jenna backed quietly back into the kitchen, a curious expression grazing her own face. This could get interesting.


	32. Attempt

Later that Evening

* * *

Tim stirred at the odd prickling sensation that was racing over his right arm and opened blue eyes, fully expecting to find Luke. The man had only left him a couple of minutes ago, when the regular visiting hours had ended. Instead, he was surprised to see what looked like a doctor, only the individual was in full-on surgical scrubs and mask, like he'd just walked out of the OR. Timothy blinked slowly, bewildered by the unexpected visitor.

"Who are you?" He asked a little groggily.

The man made no reply, but quickly slapped a hand over his mouth to prevent him from uttering another word. Tim hadn't been exactly concerned before, but that action was enough to warrant an attempt to resist the stranger. He struggled to get a cry off, the muffled sound barely making it past the iron hand, and started wrestling to find the remote with the button to call the nurse.

Shirou knew exactly what he was doing, and wasn't about to let that happen. He landed a sharp chopping blow with his free hand between Timothy's eyes, and smiled grimly to himself when the man collapsed onto the mattress without any more fight.

_There's always an easier way to finish things, _Shirou reasoned with himself, _Obviously some things are better left done yourself._ He swiftly yanked the cord of Tim's monitoring equipment out of the wall socket. Someone would notice that it had been turned off, but he should have time to do what he needed to with any real luck. He sifted through his side-pocket between two different needles, that contained two very _different_ drugs. He didn't need the sedative right now, but the potassium chloride that he'd absconded with before making his way to this floor.

Finding the best vein wasn't as simple as he'd hoped for, but his personal sureibu had given him plenty of experience in the matter.

* * *

Luke had been lingering by the nurse's station after leaving Tim, waiting on Katherine to meet him there. He struck up a conversation with a long-term acquaintance who was presently behind the desk, centering around several casual topics.

"How long before you can get out of that thing Michelle?" Luke asked, referring to the walking cast on her left ankle.

"A couple of weeks yet," She replied to him. "The pain really hasn't been that bad." She continued with a completely straight face.

"As if I'm buying that?" The man scoffed a little. "You're a tough girl Michelle. Just don't push it too hard, or you'll end up having to spend more time with Dr. Sloan than you ever wanted to.""

She gave him a dry smile. "_You_ two are the ones who are practically attached at the hip, except when it comes to working that is. Are you ever going to take a full-time position in the ER?"

Luke considered the statement, and shook his head at her. "Don't expect it to happen any time soon. Truth is, I have enough on my plate to probably last me for my entire life, at least at this rate. I'll be back by in the morning to see Tim, and you'd better not be within a hundred yards of this place. You need to get some rest of your own." He finished teasingly.

The dark-haired woman's glance had drifted from him, back to a flashing symbol on her computer screen. "Hm. Speak of the devil - I just lost the signal from his machine. Were the two of you having too much fun back there Dr. Barrows?"

"No, he was barely awake as it was."

"Well, I'm going to have to excuse myself, and go check on this thing."

"Huh-tut-tut. You stay off that foot. I'll go have a look, I've seen those monitors short out before."

"Do you have some magic trick to fix them?"

"General rule is that one or two good knocks will handle any machine." He replied with a wry smile. "If my wife comes by, would you please tell her that I'll be back?"

She nodded, and he turned right from the station, and started back down the hall, passing by two or three other individuals that were lingering or working as he went. He was within a yard of Tim's room, when the door unexpectedly came open, and someone bustled out of it.

"_Hey_," Luke spoke up immediately, as he looked at the character in complete surgical attire up and down. "What did you do in there? You didn't touch his monitor, did you?"

The man tried to simply bypass him entirely, but Luke wasn't going to just stand aside. "What were you doing?" He persisted. "Who are you?"

He barely had a chance to see the needle flash his direction, but it was just enough for him to avoid it making contact with his skin. Luke stood his ground warily, as the figure in front of him tensed. Without hesitation, he shouted back over his shoulder - "Call Security! Somebody call Security right now!"

Luke stepped out of range of the fist, and managed to get a glancing blow off his assailant's right hand, taking note of where his attacker's weapon of choice fell. He _didn't_ see what was coming next however. The man's left leg made a tight arc and connected ruthlessly with his forehead. Luke was flung into the wall by the force of it, but the explosion had been the last thing he was aware of.

* * *

Someone's hands pulling at him, a familiar voice repeating his name were the next things that tugged on his senses. Katherine bent over him, and they were both on the floor. _Why_ was he on the floor?

"Luke? Luke. Can you can hear me?"

He winced slightly, and started to force his way upright much more quickly than he should have. "Where is he? Did they catch him?"

"Stay down for a minute, okay? They were chasing him, that's what I heard anyway."

"When, how long?"

"About three minutes ago, and I just got here. Luke, would you take it easy already? Geesh, you _know_ better!" She chided as he sat up further against the wall.

Luke ignored her last statement. "He was doing something. He was coming out of the room where.._Tim_!"

There was no keeping him down now, and Katherine understood that fully. She ended up giving him a steady hand up instead. Tim's door was only a couple of paces away, but when Luke tried the handle, it wouldn't turn.

"Dang it, the key! He locked it Kat, we need the--"

"Screw the keys Luke - just stand back!" She ordered him firmly, and gave him a light push in the direction of the wall.

The woman centered her core strength for a blow she'd adapted from her own training, to use in conjunction with her career in the FBI. She sent a spinning hook kick directly into the door with a cry, and stood back so that Luke could enter.

"Where were you five minutes ago?" He couldn't help asking breathlessly, as he dashed under the door frame.

With somewhat shaky legs he dashed to Tim's side, and felt around swiftly for his vital signs. Swear words were the only thing that came immediately to mind, but he resisted the urge to waste time uttering them. Instead, he mashed the speaker button on the wall.

"Patient in full cardiac arrest in room 419! I need a crash cart in here _pronto_!"

He positioned both hands correctly over his friend's chest, and quickly started the compressions that he would continue until the crew arrived.

* * *

Luke instantly relinquished Timothy to the team, as someone else was pulling him out of the room. His heart-rate was going a lot faster than under a normal case where he was used to being in charge, and he was struggling to keep from trembling openly. He caught Katherine's eye as he was hustled back out into the hallway, and cast a pointed glance at the needle that was lying on the floor.

Katherine unobtrusively grabbed it by the end after Luke had been escorted by, and she dropped it into the sunglasses case from her purse, before going after her husband and the orderly.

He was sitting in an exam room, barely able to tolerate waiting around while someone insisted on getting a look at him, and checking for a concussion. Katherine nodded at him when she walked into the room, indicating that she'd squirreled away the needle for him.

"Kat, would you call everyone, and then keep an ear out for what's happening with Tim?" He requested.

"Got it Luke." She replied, and turned on heel to disappear from the room.

Katherine was standing by when Marcus raced into the waiting room. His own apartment was so close by the hospital, that it took almost no time at all to get there. He was completely out of breath from running, and actually gripping his inhaler just in case he needed it.

"Where's Tim, what are they doing with him? What about Luke?" He asked the moment that he caught sight of the woman.

"Tim's being stabilized, his heart had completely stopped." Katherine said a little bleakly. "They're running a tox-screen, but it will be a few hours before they have any answers on that front. The sudden onset of it indicates that there was some kind of sabotage going on, even without Luke's...encounter." She clenched one fist angrily as she finished the statement, and then released it with a sharp breath.

"And the weirdo?" Marcus demanded.

"Gone." She said shortly. "He was disguised, all he had to do was ditch the surgical stuff, and he could have ended up anywhere. They're checking Luke out right now, and then he's going to be stuck talking to a couple of cops I'm sure."

Marcus ran both hands through his dark hair so that it nearly stood on end, and then glanced down at his phone when a tone indicated that he had a text message. He expected it to be someone else seeking details, but was puzzled to find a message from Luke's phone instead.

_Test needle from Kat._

Marcus looked over at Katherine curiously. "Luke wants me to test some needle?"

"Oh yeah. I don't know why he wanted me to grab it. Legally I shouldn't have even touched it, so he'd better have a darn good reason for it."

"It sounds like he wants me to find it." Marc replied, and shifted his shoulder bag. "I can get some scans of it with Donny's device, see if it matches anything we already have in our system."

She handed over the glasses case to him, and Marc retreated into hiding in the bathroom. He dug out a pair of gloves from his bag before even attempting to do anything with it, and then pulled out the hand-held scanner. The software immediately began breaking down components, and searching through the registry of known chemicals.

He waited silently while it compiled data, and held his breath as he waited for it to return a result. When it had narrowed down the chemical, all he could do was stare at the screen for a few seconds, not convinced that it wasn't a mistake. It would need further testing from Donatello for sure, but he couldn't argue with the clear result from it.

He replaced the needle back in the case, and hurried back out to find Katherine. She could tell by the look on his face that he was surprised by what he'd found.

"What is it Marc?"

"The chemical signature is virtually _identical_ to the same substance that Luke pulled from the guys' blood tests, after their encounter a couple weeks ago. The basic form of it has been altered into a different state, but the structure of the chemical make-up is the same."

"How prevalent is that compound Marcus? How often have you seen it?"

"That's just_ it _Kat, none of us had ever laid eyes on it before a few days ago. Whoever was here, whoever was in that room with Tim, they could have connections either back to that group itself, or their supplier at the very least. This is getting scary."


	33. Understanding

While Jenna and Karina waited cluelessly with Calley out in the living area, all four brothers were in the Lab, having a swift discussion of their own.

"Fearless, we gotta ask her." Raphael insisted. "I get that she doesn't wanna talk about it, but she's got to now. There's too many weird intersects going on here - this drug for one. And _why _was she scared of your katana?" He pointed out further.

"And then there's the Japanese she used." Leonardo said softly to himself. "I know we need to ask her, I'm just trying to figure out the best way to do it."

"I think that we need to be direct with her Leo." Donatello suggested. "No beating around the bush, we just ought ask her straight out if she knows them or not. We don't have to demand tremendous details, but it would be helpful to have some idea of what's going on here."

"We can't keep this from her anyway." Michelangelo added. "She needs to hear what happened - maybe it'd make her more willing to talk."

* * *

A hint of a smile entered Calley's eyes as the turtle's returned, but it disappeared the moment that she saw Leonardo's serious expression.

"What's going on Leo?" Jenna was the first to ask. "What was up with that phone call?"

The blue-banded turtle sat down, and motioned for his brothers to do the same. The turtle fixed his gaze carefully on Calley, and took a sharp breath.

"Someone made an attempt on your father's life a few minutes ago. Now he's okay," Leonardo added swiftly, "They got to him fast enough to counter-act whatever the guy did. They're still testing to figure out what exactly caused it, but there was something else left at the scene. It bridges a connection between these people that came after you and your father, and a situation we tried to put out ourselves a couple of weeks ago. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but we've got to ask you. Do you know who the Akiudo are?"

The young woman seemed to retreat within herself in a matter of seconds, but after a few beats of silence, she nodded her head at them.

"Are they the ones you were talking about, who you said were after you?" Leonardo ventured further.

He received another small nod, but she still wasn't looking at him. The blue-banded turtle finally reached out a hand to lightly raise her chin.

"Do you know how to find them?"

She swiftly shook her head no this time.

"But they're definitely the ones who were hurting you, and who attacked Tim a few nights ago?"

"Because of_ me_." She said in a strained whisper, and then cast a glance around the room. "I have to leave, I can't stay here. I can't let anything else happen."

"Leaving now is even less of an option than it was before." Leonardo told her firmly. "You're safe here Calley - they won't find you."

"My father isn't safe, and never will be as long as I'm around." She replied. "You have to let me go. I'm the one they want - but he'll suffer for it."

"What do they want from you?" Leonardo went on, now that she was actually talking.

Calley bit her lip with a small tremor. "I belong to them, or one of them. I was his sureibu, for his own pleasure."

"Teishu." Leonardo repeated the word he'd heard her use, understanding completely now.

"You were what?" Karina couldn't help asking, and Calley cast a quick glance the woman's direction.

"Sureibu - his slave. There are several, I was his." She explained shortly.

Another thought occurred to Leonardo in that moment, as he considered whether or not they could find out an actual time line of the group's arrival in New York based on anything she could tell them. "How long Calley?"

"I don't know. Months. I was too messed up, couldn't keep track. I didn't see the sun, or the outdoors...or other people for the most part. Just him everyday, everyday he..." She was physically unable to finish the statement in the midst of her breakdown. "Why couldn't he kill me? Why couldn't he just kill me? Why did it have to be my Dad?"

The firm arms of both women surrounded her, and she didn't resist them, as much as she inwardly wanted too.

"Calley." Leonardo stated evenly. "They're not going to get to him again. He'll be under protection now, the same as you are. You've been through too much already, to even consider going back to them. You're not going to sacrifice yourself, not now, not ever.

* * *

The next day dawned more dismally for Calley than the last three had, ever since the worst of the withdrawal symptoms had eased somewhat. She was deeply disturbed by the events of the night before, and it seemed as if it had forced her to take another step backwards in the progress she'd already made since coming.

Leonardo was hovering slightly over Luke and Donny as they were working side by side in the Lab, and had to literally force himself to take a step backward before he got another look from one of them.

"So that number that Calley gave you..." Luke said curiously over his shoulder to him.

"Dead in the water - it came back with a recording." Leonardo replied grimly. "So much for setting up even a fake meeting."

"Then we're back at square one." Luke said morosely. "She's got no clue where they were holding her, or any idea how to get a hold of anyone else?"

Leonardo shook his head, and looked back in the direction of the living area. "I should get back out there, and let you guys work."

As he came out of the Lab, Jenna was just entering the living area from the hallway as well.

"Calley, I've got your dad for you." The woman said, indicating the phone in her hand.

The young woman shook her head vigorously, and Jenna swiftly made an excuse for her not to come to the phone, mostly to keep Tim from being hurt that she didn't want to talk to him.

"She's tied up with Luke this second Tim, can I have her call you?...Okay, I'll do that. Get some more rest." Jenna told him, and hung up the phone. "You're going to have to talk to him eventually." She then directed at the woman on the couch.

Calley didn't respond to her, so Jenna simply left the room.

"Avoiding him isn't the answer Calley - believe me. Take it from someone with experience." Leonardo said softly to her. "I know how guilty you're feeling, but staying away from him won't help it at all."

She shook her head slightly at the blue-banded turtle. "I don't expect you to understand this - what it's like to completely destroy someone you care about."

"You don't think so? Hm." Leonardo said thoughtfully. "Hold that thought."

He turned back to the Lab, and opened the door to get his younger brother's attention again. "Donny? I know you guys are in the middle of something, but can I get a minute from you?"

The purple-banded turtle appeared in the doorway without any delay. "Yeah - d'you need something Leo?"

"I do. I need you to come out here, and brace your right leg up on the coffee table."

"What for Fearless?"

"I want Calley to get a close up of your knee." Leonardo answered.

An instant scowl appeared on the turtle's normally placid features. "Leo...you're gonna keep bringing this up until the day we die, aren't you?"

"I have a good reason Donny - just do it, alright?"

With an irritated grunt the turtle walked over toward Calley, and set up his leg for her. She was mystified at first, but quickly caught of glimpse of the light scarring that Leonardo wanted her to see.

"Oh, wow. There is something there." She remarked, lightly tracing the outline of the longer of the two scars. "You were injured?"

"They're from surgeries." Donatello replied. "The first one right there, that was a massive reconstruction of my ACL and LCL ligaments, from a few years back. Now the smaller one, that was a minor repair from a few months ago."

The purple-banded turtle cast an imploring look at Leonardo. "Can I go now?" He had no intention of sticking around while Leonardo explained the rest of it to her.

"Yeah, thanks Don." Leo replied.

"Whatever." He muttered under his breath, and disappeared back inside of the Lab.

"Sounds pretty rough." Calley commented, the minute he was out of sight. "I'm waiting to hear the moral of this story."

"The moral is, I was responsible for it." Leonardo answered, as he came to join her on the couch. "His initial injury was 100% my fault."

"Your fault like...what, an accident?"

"Yes, and no." He replied. "Injuring him traumatically _or_ permanently never entered my imagination. But coming on too strong, that was intentional. And it's the reason he got hurt to begin with."

"Coming on strong...how?"

"You know that we practice ninjutsu. It requires constant katas, and even sparring with one another in order to keep us in the shape that we need to be in. One day I made a choice Calley, and it changed his life. It wasn't even something that happened in the spur of the moment. I planned it, I made a decision that I needed to prove a stupid point."

Leonardo paused for a moment, as he gathered his thoughts in a sensible order. "I turned on him in a spar. I hurt him, and then still had the nerve to walk out of there. Can you even imagine something like that Calley? I attacked my little brother, and walked away like it was nothing. It took Jenna to bring me to my senses later on, to convince me of how badly I'd actually injured him.

Then he was_ so _easy on me, Donny just wanted everything to be alright between us. He made every effort to get me to accept his forgiveness, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't forgive myself. He suffered for months through tremendous pain, unable to truly treat it except with physical therapy under Luke's guidance. But his knee wasn't recovering, the therapy on it's own wasn't enough.

At the same time, I'd been distancing myself more and more from him. I couldn't face him, could barely even look him in the eye. Every bit of his suffering was my fault, and nothing could change that. Fatefully, another doctor who you have yet to meet, eventually stumbled his own way into our lives. He was a long-time acquaintance of Lukes', works at the same hospital that he fills in at from time to time. He actually specializes in orthopedics, and with him at the helm, the two docs performed a reconstruction that saved his knee. But that same surgery almost ended up taking his life, when he suffered a complication from the anesthetic. He was basically two steps up from being a vegetable for close to a week.

From the time that all of us were kids, I've been charged with looking after my younger brothers Calley, to protect them, encourage them. The action I took against Donny was in complete flagrance to the code that I've sworn to, _besides_ just being one of the worst things a person can do.

You think I don't know what it's like, to walk around my home, and be unable to face my own family? Wanting to make it right, but feeling like running is the only possible answer for how badly I screwed things up? I _know_ what it is to loathe myself so much, that the temptation for personal harm existed in the back of my mind on a nearly daily basis. I know the feeling of being that helpless, trapped, and completely bogged down in so much guilt, that every day life loses all meaning. I _do_ understand Calley - better than you can fathom."

The young woman dissolved at his side, sobbing brokenly in what sounded like gut-wrenching cries. He tentatively opened his arms to her, and let Calley lean against him for support. Minutes passed before she even attempted to talk to him.

"How did you come back?" She finally managed. "How did you get over it?"

"It wasn't easy, it took time. It took me facing him, and talking about it. It took putting my own feelings aside, in order that I could stop hurting him. Avoiding him during that period was only making things worse, causing him to spiral further into his own depression." Leonardo hesitated, sniffing as emotion threatened his own mind. "There are some things you can't pay for Calley. Guilt is a debt you can't work off, not this kind anyway. Donny finally told me that the best thing I could do for him, the one way that I could make it up, would be by letting it go. I know that's not simple to do, trust me. But the first step toward forgiving yourself, is making the decision that you're going to."


	34. Control

Jenna only took a sparing breath as she drew her weight over the bar again, focusing every ounce of energy on the mere effort of supporting her own body and defying gravity. Raphael's voice beside her had buzzed into nothingness long ago, as she performed one of the exercises that had become part of her ritual every week - ever since her first lesson with the guys nearly ten years ago.

Her own training wasn't focused on ninjutsu, but primarily just on self defense tactics and strength training. She'd continued both practices even in her time apart from the guys, during the years that she'd been forced to split her time between New York and Australia. Today was like any other day, expect that Raphael and Michelangelo had been working out themselves, only to get distracted by what she was doing on her own.

The red-banded turtle lightly rapped her on the knee, strong enough to get her attention, but not to injure her. "Jen? Are you even listening to me?" He demanded of the raven-haired woman.

She lowered herself back to the ground, muscles tingling with the familiar exertion. "Yes, I'm listening." She told him.

"Really? What did I just tell you?" He challenged.

Jenna considered his question for a moment, and then shrugged. "I don't know Raph - I _wasn't_ listening."

He rolled his eyes at her, and then pointed at the mat. "Sit down."

She obeyed a little more meekly than she normally would have, but Mike's quick wink out of the corner of her eye made it harder to keep a completely straight face.

"Teach me, O wise one." Jenna requested a little tongue-in-cheek, though not in true sarcasm.

"You're forgettin' some of the most basic stuff we ever taught you Jen." He said reproachfully. "You're not breathing, and your center is off. Strength isn't just about how far, or how long you can push it. It's also about control. Strength without control is like...it's like the match that turns into a wild-fire. And you can't tune us out like that. I know you've been doing this for awhile, but you're never gonna lose your need for a partner, or a spotter at the very least. My guess is that doing it on your own too often is _why _you've fallen into these bad habits."

"I didn't mean to fall into them."

"That's just it Jenna, y'don't have to. Our bodies naturally go that route - the fight is to keep it consistently in check. You really need to get yourself back into a sense of accountability with working out. Now do you wanna get back on that thing, and listen to what I'm saying this time?"

Properly chastised, she got back to her feet and returned to the bar, stretching both arms to reach it.

"I want you to take it more slowly this time." He instructed. "Don't be focused on how many times you can clear it, but on how long you can hold a particular position. And breathe. That's got an important role to play, and you keep neglecting it. Go ahead Jen, don't be intimidated by me standing here."

"Yeah, that'll be the day." The orange-masked turtle chuckled across from him. "She always quivers with fear in your presence Raphy."

Jenna bit her lip to repress a smile, as Raphael turned a sharp look on his younger brother.

"Shut it Mike - she doesn't need your mouth distracting her. It's hard enough to keep her attention as it is." Raphael finished under his breath.

Jenna focused, but not to the point of excluding Raphael this time. His voice was a steady undercurrent as she braced herself above the bar, striking a holding position for a few seconds longer than she'd been doing recently. Each successive turn lasted a little bit longer than the one before it, as he body relaxed further under the slower approach.

"Good, that's great Jen. Do you have any clue how stiff you looked before? You're using all your flexibility now - it's looking a lot better than it was already." The red-banded turtle encouraged her after a few minutes.

With another deep breath, she held another combination for a few moments, before alighting back to the floor. She relinquished the bar this time, sighing contentedly at the warm euphoric sensation that the exercise gave her. It made her feel alive; a little exhausted as well, but more satisfied physically than she'd felt in some time.

Jenna slid against the wall for support and accepted a bottle from Michelangelo, who didn't bother hiding his grin of pride, the way that Raphael forced himself to. Nothing seemed to please the turtles more, than seeing someone else benefit from their training.

_They could really whip some people into shape if they came out with their own work-out video_, she mused inwardly._ I can see it now_.

The red-banded turtle nudged her shoulder slightly as she toweled off her neck.

"You did good sis. Don't fly solo too often, okay? We're almost always around to spot ya, and keep you honest." He told her, and glanced toward the door. "I 'spose I ought check on _my_ girl. Don't you go corrupting everything I just told her Mikey."

"Who, me?" The orange-masked turtle responded with a cheshire smile, and made an entirely different face behind Raphael's back when the turtle turned around.

Jenna couldn't help snickering, despite how corny he was being. But the minute Raphael actually left the room, Michelangelo's face softened with another expression altogether.

"What's that look for?" She asked the turtle.

"Nothing, I was just thinking back. You really have come a long way Jen." He answered, more seriously than she'd expected him to.

"And I still have a long way to go." She replied wryly.

"The day we stop learning, is the day we stop growing. It doesn't matter where you go, or how old you are, if you're not teachable, there's no sense in even continuing with any of it. You know we're proud of you, dontcha ya? Especially Raph. He wouldn't call you out, if he didn't know you could do better."

"He's right anyway." Jenna said swiftly. "I haven't been focusing properly, concentrating more on working up a sweat, than actually controling my body. As a woman, you often feel like you've got so much more to prove right off the bat. Getting stronger has been very important to me...but all the muscle in the world doesn't mean anything if I can't use it correctly, right?"

"Well, it certainly doesn't mean as _much_." He agreed. "But you've got this. Keeping your mind in the right place is most of the battle for you now."

* * *

Shirou had taken leave from New York, not long after his failed attempt at the hospital. He was now focusing all of his thought into the last effort that might actually get him safely back into the Akiudo. Only one other person had the number of his newly "acquired" disposable cell phone, and said person had left him message a couple of days ago, concerning a lead he had out of a facility about four hours away in Moravia.

Turner was waiting for him outside in the parking lot, nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Geez, what took you so long?" He demanded. "We're running on a small window of opportunity here. You've got less than an hour to get in, and get back out."

"Just point me in the right direction." Shirou said smoothly. "I can take care of myself from there."

* * *

The man he'd traveled that distance to see was on "yard-time", just like he was supposed to be at this hour, and had separated himself slightly from the others as he'd been instructed. Around the corner of the building, he suddenly heard someone hiss at him, and started moving that direction.

"No, stay where you are." The stranger commanded. "Don't do anything to give me away."

The man retained his position casually, not even looking in the direction of the voice as he responded. "Are you the one I supposed to be waiting around for?"

"Are _you_ the one who has information concerning the Phantoms?" The stranger shot back.

"I'm just such a man. I was wondering if you were actually going to show today."

"I don't have very much time for small talk." Shirou said sharply. "What I need is some kind of confirmation from you. My contact says that you have information that can lead me to them."

"As a matter a fact, that's true. But it doesn't come cheaply, I have to warn you."

"I'm not here to waste time on negotiations. Why don't you tell me what it is you're after, and I'll see what we can offer in return?"

"My price is my freedom." The man replied.

"Meaning you want us to arrange that for you? That's a tall order to require up front, without any information exchanging hands."

"It's the offer you're getting, take it or leave it. But I _will _tell you, reliable sources on these guys are extremely hard to come by, and what I have to offer is a guaranteed in."

"It's easy to say that, but how do I know that you have real knowledge of them? Surely, you don't expect me to take your word for it."

"No, I don't expect you to. I can tell you things about them, things that only someone who's had extended contact with them would know."

"Are you inferring you've had that much face to face time with them?"

"With one of them. I only witnessed the rest through a surveillance operation. I know that there are four of them, or were at least. I never heard what came of the one that I was personally acquainted with. They each bear a different color, a different weapon, along with rather unique personas. They're incredible fighters, but they adhere to a strict honor system, where their code only allows them to take it so far with an enemy. They're your modern day, all round good guy 'heroes'.

I can also tell you where their real weakness lies, that it centers around their human contacts. Yes, they're surrounded by a number of people. I know who they are. I know how to find them. So while I can't get you exactly to the Phantoms' doorstep, I can get you pretty darn close. And that's all the more I have to say for now, a short preview of the main attraction if you will."

"No." Shirou said stubbornly. "Tell me what they're like up close. I can't act on this without real proof of knowledge from you."

"They're not shadows or ghosts, like some people like to pass around. And they're not impenetrable either, they can be hurt badly, killed even. They have a stronger exterior than we do, a hard shell, along with something that almost feels like armour, built over their chest. But they're still vulnerable, there's regular old flesh and blood running underneath their defenses. They're also very protective of each another, so picking on one of them is like starting a war on all four. I hope you know what you're getting into."

* * *

*** Gold star for anyone who can tell me who Shirou's talking to here! :) The dude made a brief (but devastating) appearance in one of my stories a couple of fics ago. **


	35. Fear & Expecting

*** I didn't think it was possible for me to write a "dream" sequence that **_**got**_** to me personally more than the last vision Donny had in Resolution. I was wrong. Just one more reason to hate the man, even from his grave. But ****read on.**

* * *

_The piercing burn of his wrists were getting to him, still refusing to lose feeling despite how badly the circulation had been cut off, was _still _being cut off. There was no point in trying to move, he hadn't been able to make any headway with the restraints yet, but that didn't stop him from continuing to try. It was very important that he didn't quit - something was pushing him to continue the useless struggle, in spite of the hopelessness that was threatening. _

_He was lying on his stomach, on what was a very hard unrelenting surface. There was nothing else to specifically tell about the space he was in presently; the shadows that clung to it made it difficult to distinguish any other real characteristics from this viewpoint. He'd suddenly discovered that he was able to get a little bit of leverage with his knees, and was in the process of continuing an effort to get free. A boot that he never saw coming crashed into his side, stealing every ounce of his breath away with it. Pain had no more finished registering before someone kneed him viciously from the other direction, so hard that it sent mini shockwaves through his whole body._

_Even as he gasped for air, the shapes were closing in again. This time they pulled him upright, setting him on his feet as if he was really expected to walk somehow._

_"Bring Doc. It's time for him to assess." A cool detached voice proclaimed, ringing in Luke's ears like a death sentence. _

_But in that panicked moment, he understood why he'd been struggling uselessly on the floor this entire time. It wasn't his own skin he was most concerned about, but the others that he knew had to be close by. He tried hard to make out the faces of the others, faces he should have been able to make out even in the low lighting. They were shrouded in an unnatural shadow, but Luke had only to imagine the sound of that voice again, and it was more than enough to send cold chills of terror down his spine._

_His bound legs _remained _bound, they'd never had any intention of releasing him. Two pairs of arms dragged him across the basement floor, and dropped him unceremoniously back onto his knees, in front of another bundle in the corner of the room. Someone yanked his head up fiercely from behind, as one of the other shadows rolled over what was actually another figure on the floor, depositing him directly within Luke's line of vision. The smallest amount of light in the space was barely enough to reveal what Luke was really seeing, but he was close enough now to make it out._

_Every bit of normal color had been drained from the turtle's face, and blood seeped from the gaping wound in his temple, as red as the mask that was his signature color. Despite being bound, the man still tried desperately to fling himself in the turtle's direction, only to be jerked painfully backwards by the collar._

_"No, no Doc, there's still more to see yet. You'll get the chance to watch all of them die. That's a pleasure I wouldn't dream of denying you." The calm voice assured him, as an uncontrolled cry leaped from the man's throat._

_Hands were pulling him again, dragging him toward another corner of the room. The second figure was still chained to the wall, hanging limply from the links that bound him, his own weight causing them to dig deeply into his wrists and ankles. The turtle's form glistened in what tiny amount of light was available, as if he were wet. Upon closer inspection, Luke could tell with swiftly increasing horror that he was not covered in water, but blood. He couldn't even tell what color the mask would have been, but he of all people didn't need to see their colors to recognize the individual turtles from one another. The very shape of his frame gave away that it was Michelangelo in front of him. _

_He was breathing deep and labored, as if each breath was more painful than the last. Luke barely had time to make out the _exposed _bone from the turtle's side, before he was being pulled away a second time. The roughness of his own captors was meaningless, their cold grip on his skin barely even registering as they yanked him merely a couple of feet away from where Michelangelo was, to the third turtle who was lying on his plastron on the floor._

_This one was not bound at all, but he also wasn't moving. It was taking all the strength he had left inside of him, to continue struggling for a breath that simply wasn't coming. His shell barely quivered through the effort of it, as he didn't truly have the energy to lift his embattled chest any further._

_The painfully empty sheathes on his back were a reminder of the katana he'd been parted from, of the humiliation and agony he'd experienced at failing to protect the others. What remained of his breathing contained a raspy quality that Luke had heard too many times in his years as a doctor, the rattle of death becoming more pronounced in the mere seconds that he'd been present to observe._

_Unearthly sobs shook his body as they separated him from the turtle, leaving him to finish the task of suffocating on his own. Luke could hardly breathe himself as he was brought before the last. The purple-banded turtle was lying on his shell, his shattered body lying at an unnatural angle. As Luke was shoved down beside him, he saw the turtle's sightless brown eyes staring into eternity, signifying that the gentle spirit was no longer present with the rest of them._

_"God, NO! Donny! You can't be..." He couldn't hold back the anguished plea, despite the fact that his fate had already been decided for him._

_"Oh, I am sorry Doctor." The man beside him said, with all the supposed sympathy in the world. "This one is already beyond your assessment, isn't he?"_

_****_

A soft hand was caressing his cheek, the other was firmly shaking his shoulder. These were the sensations that drew Luke awake, back to his own Master bedroom. He'd been shedding such heavy tears that the pillowcase beneath him was stained and wet with all of them. Despite waking from the nightmare, the emotion had yet to actually let go of him. He trembled violently in Katherine's grasp, as she hung onto him without saying a word for a couple of minutes.

Without saying anything between them, Luke slowly got himself under control, and sat up on his elbows to the sight of fading daylight, the remnants of the setting sun. He'd returned to Chelsea about an hour before, having spent the entirety of the day helping Donatello underground with the analysis of the sample. Turning up the chemical in it's true form was actually a fortunate direction for their research. They had the basic components of it before, but not the formula that designated how they all fit in place. Now that they had a sample of its' actual structure, their own responsibilities as chemical engineers became somewhat simplified, as they were able to assess the substance, without being forced to first recreate it from scratch.

He'd come home to meet back up with Katherine, and merely been resting his eyes upstairs while awaiting her own arrival at the house. Now she'd crawled up on the bed beside him, concern for him stressed in every line of her face.

"Are you alright?" She finally asked in a small voice.

"Yeah." He responded after a beat. "It just hit...a little too close to home."

Luke had no desire to speak what he'd seen, no more wanted to relive it than he wanted to cut off his own hand. Katherine didn't ask him about it, she simply stayed near to his frame, gripping one of his hands close to her chest comfortingly.

"How's Tim doing now?" Luke asked her. "What's the situation at the hospital?"

"The 24 hour guard is in place, some of the men from Tim's own unit are on the detail. There's something comforting in that for him. Greg would stay himself, if he wasn't completely caught up chasing other rabbits."

"What rabbits? Does he have some kind of lead on this guy?" Luke asked quickly.

"Not him specifically, no. But Leo and Raph identified a couple of guys for him the other night from that club footage, people that we theorize were assisting the Akiudo. The groups' M.O. had to change when they entered US soil. They need Americans to be the face of their operation on the ground floor of the clubs. Greg's pretty sure he has a good bead on at least one of them, he's working on getting confirmation of his residence."

"And then what?" Luke wondered.

"Every fox eventually has to return to it's den." She replied.

"You're hoping on these Americans will lead you back to the gang."

"They were dumb enough to let Leonardo and Raphael follow them to begin with. It's conceivable that surveillance on them could lead to favorable results...though how quickly is in question. Greg's more driven than I've ever seen him before."

"Yeah, well...we'd better make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. We all want to catch them, but not at _his_ expense."

"I still consider monitoring him part of my own responsibility." She said wryly. "Years of partnership are hard to break that way. Are you sure you're alright Luke?"

He nodded, and sat up further against the headboard of their bed. "I'm getting hungry I think."

"Me too." She acknowledged, and then gave him a different smile entirely. "It's going to be important that I'm eating right, now more than ever."

"I would never discourage that, but why's it more important now?" He asked.

"I'm not just thinking of myself here Luke. I mean, I have our baby to consider now too."

Blue eyes blinked slowly back at her as he digested that statement. "Our baby? As in, you're saying..."

"I took four different tests. If they're all wrong, I'm suing _somebody_."

A still somewhat startled laugh escaped him, as he darted to get the woman back into his arms. She laughed in between kissing him, and exhaled deeply as she finally flounced back to the mattress.

"Our baby Luke. I love the sound of that, don't you?"

His grin was irrepressible.


	36. Resurgence

Calley felt a little like she was invading, even though the blue-banded turtle had assured her that he didn't mind if she watched him work through his katas. She'd seen something similar performed by Shirou a few times before, but the young warrior didn't often run through the routines back in his quarters where she'd been confined almost all of the time. The man's pride and self-assured nature were evident in every action that he took, but never more so than he was trying to show off to her.

What little experience she had watching the warrior practice his forms, proved to be a dramatic departure from observing Leonardo. The lines of his form that he was creating were so precise, so elegant, reminding her more of the dancers she'd grown up training alongside, than the demon of a man that had dominated her for months.

Calley shouldered her way more comfortably against the wall, surprised by the feeling that was stirring as she'd been watching for several minutes. She'd observed the way that the other brothers looked to him, the manner in which he seemed slightly elevated. In most ways, Leonardo and his brothers seemed to be equals, and yet the mantle on his own shoulders had become obvious to her, though no one had spoken it outright.

In the same manner, she'd quietly watched the way he related to to each of them, engaging in a similar and yet somewhat unique fashion, depending on who he was dealing with at the time. To see such open camaraderie without a hint of underlying maliciousness was something she had not seen mirrored under human counterparts. The closest she could even begin to equate it to were the brief flashes that she had of her father engaging with the men from SWAT, men who would have gladly taken a bullet for one another before ever standing down. The same protectiveness was present in the atmosphere that she'd been dwelling in for days already.

When she was able to divorce herself from the critical voice within that commented on her every action, Calley found herself experiencing surges of a deep sense of intuition. It had been a long standing experience from her earliest youth, but had later been lost firmly inside the mess her mind had later become. With that intuition came a true sense of the others around her, that went so much deeper than words could.

Without knowing the two women well, it was still rather simple for her to get a feel for where both of them stood. Jenna was wary of being really _seen, _with somewhat of a guarded surround that carefully controlled the emotions that she consciously allowed anyone to pick up on. She had the distinct impression that it was a long standing defense, and not something that actually related to the turtles in any way, shape, or form. Donatello was the _only_ one that Jenna's spirit seemed completely open to.

Karina, on the other hand, was an open book of emotion, which required little or no intuition to decipher. Calley sensed that the woman was making attempts to cover some of it, but for the most part was completely unable to disguise her actual feelings at any given moment. Calley had only recently gotten out of her _own _head long enough to recognize that Karina seemed almost tortured by something underneath. Her joy over Raphael was as bright as an undwindled flame, but the burden never completely left her shoulders, even among him.

All these thoughts washed over her like a slow ocean tide, while she never took her eyes off Leonardo, and his own focused dance. Her mind relished the activity, the challenge of seeing past the exteriors, without the hampering effect of her own withdrawal consuming her. She couldn't shut it down completely now anymore than she could before, but it had become much easier to distract from it.

Leonardo was winding down, coming back to himself, to the imposed limitations that the earthly realm required. There were times when he was disconnected from it, when it seemed that there was nothing at all to stand between himself and the rest of time and space. It was in that "in between" place that his Master's words still felt alive in many ways, where he was able to remember him the most clearly. It wasn't something that he was completely able to control. He had no power over what words, teaching, or memory would greet him there. His part was to try _not _to control it, and thereby squelch the freedom that letting go actually allowed him.

Today he'd heard nothing - merely felt a strong sense of reassurance and peace, that sought to balance out the anger he was harboring concerning the attempt on Tim's life the night before. He didn't have the luxury of venting the way that he really felt like doing, most of the time he could only simmer away underneath. When he allowed himself to completely relax in this state, it was often very much a cleansing effect on what negativity had been trying to gain a foothold.

The room came back into conscious view, and the turtle noticed Calley against the far wall. Her expression was probing, a look that reminded him somewhat of Donatello when he was searching some matter out. He padded silently across the mat to join her, sliding slowly down against the wall. Leonardo shot her a slightly quizzical look, as he tried to imagine what could be going through her head.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

She nodded, and brushed overlapping blond hair away from her eyes. "Are you finished?"

"For today. I hope you didn't get bored - you didn't have to stay." He replied.

"Boring isn't the word for it." She told him softly. "Watching you is like entering inside of a story."

His brow furrowed curiously now. "What do you mean?"

"Someone like you shouldn't exist, you defy all natural logic and reason. But you're here." She answered. "Part of me still almost doesn't believe that you're real, like you could evaporate into thin air."

"That will pass." He assured her. "You'll realize that we aren't that different."

"What's so wrong with being different?" She asked suddenly. "The world is so messed up at it's core, and it's only getting darker as time passes. Do you know how it feels to be trapped inside that evil vortex, and not see any way out of it? No hope for tomorrow, because it will undoubtedly be the same as today. I never expected to be able to see the real light of day again." She said slowly. "So when I talk about someone being _different, _you have to understand that it's the highest compliment that I can offer you right now."

"Then...thank you." He said simply.

"It is always like this with the four of you? Or I guess I'm asking...how long has it been like this?"

"Every family has it's problems, as I shared with you earlier." He replied.

"No, I mean with the ninjutsu..." She trailed off for a moment. "Where did you learn all of it? I've seen something like it before, but not like...not the way you do it."

Leonardo couldn't help snorting slightly. "I imagine the Akiudo's version of training would differ a little from our own. Our father taught us, he was a great Master...a great man."

"He was?" She echoed. "I take it he's not around at all anymore."

"No, he's been gone for a couple of years." Leonardo said evenly.

"And now it comes down to you." She said knowingly, cocking her head as she peered into his dark eyes a little more boldly. "You still partially feel like you have to fill his shoes, don't you?"

"Well, yeah...I think part of me always will. I've made so many mistakes in the past, and even in the last year. They only serve to illuminate how far I still have to go." He replied honestly.

"They _really_ respect you." Calley stated. "It's easy for me to see, though I have to wonder whether or not you see it that way."

"Guilt and regret have a way of clouding the perceived vision that you think other people have of you." Leonardo answered. "Especially if you feel like you don't measure up to it. It's a work in progress as far as I'm concerned. I don't live inside of guilt actively the way that I used to, but that doesn't stop it from continually trying to creep up on me. I have to fight it with every waking breath some days."

Calley was quiet for a long moment, as she drew both hands instinctively inside too long sleeves. "They're everything to you. Nothing in this world can even come close to that, can it?"

He nodded. "One thing about living the kind of existence that we do, is that I think it becomes harder to take each other for granted. In the real world brothers grow up, move out, and move on with their separate lives. They keep some kind of connection as they walk their individual paths, but their every day lives don't necessarily revolve around each other.

With us, we live a completely different dynamic. We have to rely on each other, more than many people on the surface would have to. And in their own unique way, each of my brothers is an important piece of the puzzle that makes up the fabric of who we are. Each one is necessary. The thought of functioning without a piece of it...it's more frightening than anything else."

"And your other friends." Calley remarked further. "They hold a special place down here too."

Leonardo nodded firmly once more. "The guest list has certainly grown longer than I ever imagined that it would, but I guess I should have expected it. You start dealing with humans, and sooner or later, they're going to multiply on you." He said a little sardonically. "You haven't even met a couple of them."

"What about my father Leonardo?" She asked him. "What sort of part does he play in all of this?"

"Calley, our human contacts are pretty much like extended family to us. And in the same way that we'd fight to the death for each other, the same stands true for our friends."

"I'm told that the feeling is mutual with him." She said thoughtfully.

"You're right. Your dad has risked his career and his own skin more than once to help us. We wouldn't ask that _or _want that from any of you. But preventing it seems just as possible as forcing a current to flow upstream, instead of down."

Her sudden smile actually made the turtle catch his breath a little. "What did I say?" He asked.

"Just the way you said that...'any of you'. It almost made me feel like I'm a part of the grand scheme of things."

"You _are_ a part of it now Calley, that is, if you want to be." He added swiftly.

"I don't see how anyone could remotely get to know you, and willingly walk away." She answered.


	37. Stretching

It was a little after 3:30 in the morning, and Calley woke up in her third cold sweat of the night, to the same tingling sensation in the muscles of her legs. She'd thought she could handle this, sleeping in a room by herself. But she was quickly discovering that symptoms of lingering withdrawal weren't so easy to discard on her own in the middle of the night. She felt closed in, as if it was getting harder to breathe the longer she stayed in the room.

Finally she rose to her feet, and escaped the room at the end of the downstairs hallway, nervously fingering the wall to find her way down in the semi-darkness. The floor was cold on her feet, but the sensation wasn't nearly as troubling as being holed up in that room had felt like.

As she approached the living area, her eyes traveled up the adjacent staircase. What she wanted to do more than anything was to go find Leonardo, to find herself safe in his presence again. Calley lowered her eyes the moment the thought flitted through her mind. _Shouldn't be thinking things like that Calley_, she reprimanded herself._ You're a big girl, you can do _this_ on your own_.

She sank onto the couch instead, and pulled the thin quilt off the back of it. After wrapping up in it as tightly as she could, she laid her head back down against the armrest, and waited silently for the opportunity to fall back asleep.

* * *

Karina came out of her own room downstairs around 5:45 that morning. When she had a lot of work to get done in one day, she was in the habit of getting an earlier start so that she could stay out of the guys' way better. It was _their_ practice space after all, even if they didn't mind her using it. As she headed that direction, Karina heard a soft sound come from the living area, and turned on the ball of her foot to investigate it.

She was a little surprised to see someone on the couch, definitely not one of the guys based on the figure's shape. The young woman raised her head when she heard Karina, and nodded hello to her solemnly.

"Calley? Is everything alright?"

"It's okay. The walls were closing in on me, so I just came out here." She answered.

"Have you gotten any sleep?"

"A few minutes here and there."

"Do you need something? Is there anything I can do to help you?" Karina asked.

"Don't worry about me. I'll get there eventually." She replied.

Karina peered at her for a couple of seconds as if considering something, and then threw a glance back over her shoulder. "Know what? I was headed over to get stretched out. I've got a lot to do today, but I like to take my time with this part. Would you care to join me?"

"Well, I'm not really...I haven't done anything like that in awhile." Calley said a little haltingly.

"I won't let you do anything to hurt yourself." Karina assured her. "C'mon. It's better than lying here not sleeping, isn't it?"

"When you put it that way..."

The young woman got slowly to her feet, and followed Karina down the hall to the practice room, where'd she'd sat the evening before, watching Leonardo. As they both stretched out legs in front of them on the mat, Calley automatically reached for her toes and held the position, hissing a little sharply under her breath as the pain met her.

"Bend you legs a little." Karina advised her. "You really do need to take things slowly."

Calley blew a wisp of blond hair out of her face and obeyed her, drawing her knees up however slightly off the floor. Neither woman said anything for the first couple of minutes, as Calley fell into a rhythm following directly behind Karina's own motion, who was intentionally easing her into the easiest stretches she knew.

Calley's curiosity was finally getting the better of her, as she recognized the ease of Karina's flexibility, and knew that the woman was holding back from pushing too hard so that she wouldn't try it either. "What is it you do exactly?" She asked Karina. "Do you teach somewhere?"

"I did teach." Karina answered. "I ran a studio out in California - it was my Mom's actually. I only took over after she died."

"Sorry." Was her immediate response.

"It was difficult." Karina acknowledged. "And losing the studio wasn't much easier, particularly because it was my own stupid fault."

The look in her green eyes had instantly become so saddened, that Calley intentionally shifted the subject.

"And now you're in New York. So what do you do here?"

"I'm a choreographer." Karina replied, once again under control. "I create routines and I train dancers for live shows. I'm in the middle of a project right now actually."

"It sounds kind of exciting. Was that what you always wanted to do?"

Karina hesitated, as she bent one arm firmly behind her head. "You might say that it's the new dream. It wasn't what I pictured growing up...but in many ways, it's better than what I could have tried to plan."

"What did you picture?" Calley couldn't help asking.

"I wanted to _be _a dancer, one of those girls that I train now. But I'm honestly at peace with the role that I play behind the scenes." Karina replied evenly.

Calley's gaze was different that the woman had ever seen it look before, and something in her obvious interest caused her to continue.

"I got accepted to a school when I was 18, to continue dancing." Karina said a little wistfully. "The open door was there...but I didn't take it."

"Why not?" She asked.

"There were a couple of factors. My Mom was one of them, we'd always been pretty tightly connected when I was growing up. Of my sister, brother, and myself, I was the only one who really took to the ballroom scene with her. Ever since I was a tiny kid, I can remember going to her studio with her, and knowing that her dream was that it would be mine someday. As much as I wanted to be on the live stage myself...I was afraid, that I wouldn't be good enough to make it. That I'd leave behind my entire life in California, only to fail when I got here.

I ended up not even telling anyone about being accepted. I compromised what I really wanted, to placate my own fear, and to make my Mom happy. Looking back now, it feels more like an excuse than ever. She would have loved me, no matter what I did. I think it was my own way of rationalizing my decision to stay behind."

Calley nodded, but didn't ask anything else right away. She followed Karina as the woman got back to her feet, and started stretching out her back by bracing both arms on her hips, and slowly twisting her torso. Muscles throbbed, but Calley fed off of the pain. It was familiar, welcome even. She exhaled somewhat contentedly as she leaned against the wall beside Karina a few minutes later.

"How did you know that would make me feel better?" Calley asked. "Did Leo tell you that I used to dance?"

Karina shook her head meekly. "No. I've seen pictures, from your dad's apartment. He once told me that you were really something."

Calley shook her her own head slightly. "I wasn't that great. It took me at least twice the effort as most of the other girls, to even master so many of the techniques. And I use that the term 'master' loosely." She replied wryly. "I walked away from ballet years ago."

"That doesn't mean it still wouldn't be good for you." Karina encouraged her. "It would probably be helpful in giving your body some liberation again."

The young woman shrugged. "I'm just not into it like that anymore Karina. But I appreciate hearing what you have to say. It's a good reminder that...not everything is as simple as it sometimes seems, is it?"

"Not even close." Karina said dryly. "I'm here anytime, if you'd like to work, or if you change your mind. I enjoyed this here with you."

"Thanks. I'm going to try and get some real sleep. Maybe I'll come by later, and see what you're working on." Calley suggested.

"You're welcome to it."

* * *

Brandon had woken up early again that morning himself, but had opted to go back over his new contract with a fine tooth comb again, before heading downstairs to the gym that was in the basement of Marc's building. He glanced up from his paperwork at the kitchen table as the doctor came through the living room, and shot him an easy smile.

"Doctor--" He started, only for the man to hold up a hand at him.

"Marcus." The man interrupted. "Good morning Brandon. Looks like you're getting an early start." Marc commented, as he reached over the counter to hit the button on the coffeemaker.

"Yeah, I've just been doing some real thinking, while I still have the time."

"Before the school year kicks off you mean?" He asked in return.

"Well...I'm actually not sure about my direction right now. I had another serious offer on the table, a great recommendation for a job from an old professor out of Michigan."

"Michigan?" Marcus repeated, carefully keeping his tone from reacting too severely. "I thought you already signed a contract to teach _here_."

"Well, I haven't exactly finished the due process, transferring my license for instance. I went to the Civic Center to do it, but then I got a little sidetracked. I'm not feeling settled now, and I'm not sure if this was a good idea." He shuffled his papers a little distractedly. "I still have some considerations to make."

"Are you going out?" Marcus asked, trying very hard to keep the apprehensive note out of his voice. "Do you want some coffee? Before you go, I mean, I'm making it anyway."_ Stammering. Yeah, great way to keep him on an even keel Marcus_, he chided himself severely.

Brandon started to say something, but then stopped himself for a few seconds before going on. "Things aren't what I expected Marcus. I thought that I could come here, and pick some stuff back up, right from where it left off. But it doesn't always work that way, does it? Too much time has passed, too many things have happened. I just don't think that I can continue to hang around here, and pretend that anything can be normal." He finished, as he got up from the table.

Brandon only took the time to gather his gym bag, and was out the door of the apartment a few seconds later.

With a gigantic sigh, Marcus retrieved his cell phone from the pocket of his jacket where he'd accidentally left it, and hit Katherine's speed dial. It was still a little early yet, but damage control wasn't something she'd want to put off.

"Marc? What's up?" She asked after a beat of silence on her end.

"We have a problem, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but..."

"Just lay it on me Marcus, no sense in fooling around with it." She said a little wearily as he hesitated.

"Your brother's considering flying the coop entirely. He's looking at some position in Michigan." Marcus told her. He felt a little like a tattle-tail even as the words left his mouth, but this was exactly the kind of information they'd begged him for.

Katherine swore on the other end, a practice she wasn't actually well known for. "This isn't happening. One way or another, he's got to hear us out."


	38. Friendly Fire

***I love Raphael, because this honestly seems like something he would do. Regardless of the possible consequences. :)**

* * *

The day had been a very silent one for Karina. Focusing on her own work after her updated phone call from Katherine about Brandon had been almost impossible, so she'd finally retreated to her own room. Half a dozen times she'd tried to call Brandon to no answer - and the last two times it had transferred her directly to voice-mail, as if the phone had been shut off entirely.

Raphael had been by a number of times himself to see if he could get her to come out of the room, or at least talk to him. When she wouldn't budge or say more than four words at a time for several hours, his own wheels began swiftly turning. The red-banded turtle was contemplating a bold course of action, something that he was certain Leonardo wouldn't appreciate, and was even less sure if Karina would be okay with it. But if it paid off, the risk of upsetting either of them would be well worth it.

Now that he'd talked himself into it, he didn't want to wait around any longer at the chance that he might come to his senses. He pulled out his phone and hit the speed-dial to reach Marc on the surface.

"Hey man," He said a little uncertainly when the the human picked up. "I need your cooperation with something, and you might not wanna do it. But I think it has to be done. You agree that we can't let Brandon walk away like this, don't you?"

"I don't see how it would _help _the family relationships. What have you got in mind here Raph? Do I really wanna know?" Marcus answered.

"Somebody else needs to, and I'm sure as heck not telling anyone down here. But I need to know a couple of things from you - the first being, whether or not you can make yourself scarce tonight."

There was a long pause on his end of the phone, and then a very guarded reply. "Why Raph?"

"You're gonna have to trust me - I just need you out of the apartment, so you don't accidently get implicated somehow. And I need you to keep your mouth shut about it. Think you can do that Marc?"

"Is this necessary?"

"I don't know, you tell me. Is he actually planning on leaving?"

"I'm not sure Raph...I mean...he hasn't said anything definite. But when he came back to the apartment from the gym, I could hear him working in his room. He was pulling stuff back together again, like he was getting ready to make _some_ kind of move. But if you lean on him real hard, it could send him running faster!"

"Not if he's the kinda guy that his sisters say he is." Raphael said shortly. "Either way, he has to listen to somebody."

* * *

It was after 11pm when Raphael trotted downstairs, making absolutely no attempt the veil the fact that he was leaving. Leonardo was sitting in his favorite reading spot in the living area, and glanced up from his book when he heard him coming down - then saw his coat.

"You going out?" He asked obviously.

"Yeah, but I won't be late Fearless." Raphael saw the nervous twitch in his shoulders that his brother tried to hold back. "I'll be_ fine _Leo."

"You don't want company, do you?"

"Not tonight." He replied. "I just have something I gotta do on my own. But I really won't be very long."

"You're not taking your bike?"

The red-banded turtle just barely avoided an outright grimace. "No, I'm good on foot, I need to run for awhile. I'll be back soon - don't worry about me." He finished pointedly.

* * *

Brandon had been asleep long enough that he was officially dead to the outside world. He wasn't even close to being aware of the stranger that was only inches away from him, tensed and contemplating how he was going to pounce. Brandon's first clue that there was anything unusual going on in the apartment came when something clamped down hard over his mouth.

The man's golden brown eyes shot open, just as the stranger jerked hard on his blanket, and sent him crashing to the floor. Before he'd had sufficient time to recover or react, the figure's weight had descended on his back, not crushing him, but neither was it forgiving. A shout started to escape Brandon, before something that felt vaguely like fabric was jammed into his mouth, cutting off further sounds.

Brandon struggled furiously on his chest - no _way_ he was going down this easily! The muscular arms twisting his wrists behind his back felt like more than a match for his own strength, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying. He lashed his weight from side to side what inches he could muster, in an attempt to hamper his assailant. That only caused the stranger's legs to lever more strongly against his back, effectively pinning him to the carpet.

When his hands were bound together, the weight lessened for a moment as his attacker shifted positions, and Brandon leaped on the opportunity, lashing out hard with both feet. The shadowy figure caught one of his legs, but the other achieved a powerful blow to the face that he still hadn't been able to make out. The stranger didn't seem phased by it, but quickly snagged the offending limb out of mid-air before it could make another connection.

When his ankles were lashed tightly by the same material that felt felt somewhat like leather against his skin, his assailant hauled him off of the floor, and deposited him into a chair by the nearby desk. Brandon's heart was absolutely racing, as he had no idea what to expect next. He had his suspicions about what was going on here, but definitely wasn't expecting the figure to take two steps away from him, or to say what he did next,

"I'm _real_ sorry about this Brandon - I didn't wanna have to do it this way, but you left me no choice." A somewhat gruff voice actually apologized grudgingly.

Brandon's enraged grunt was muffled by the gag in place, even as the man struggled uselessly against the restraints.

"Don't waste your time." He was advised. "But you don't have to be afraid either, because I'm not gonna hurt you. I could have, but I'm not going to."

Brandon stared at his attacker hard in the darkness, trying desperately to make out some kind of feature or familiar element inside of him. But the tiniest amount of light that filtered through the space was no more than enough to just see the stranger's outline. Bewilderment was rushing through his mind not only about being woken up this way, but by the idea that this person apparently knew who he was. However, confusion was quickly placing a distant second to the anger that was searing through the surface.

"I don't blame you for being pissed." The figure told him. "If somebody dragged me out of bed like that, I'd be mad too. But this right here, it's not about you and me Brandon. It's about you bein' an absolute moron, and completely screwing up everything with your sisters." Raphael told him tersely, as he lightly rubbed the eye that Brandon's foot had plowed into. "That's why I'm here, to talk about them. I'll even give you a chance to speak your own piece. But I'm not taking off that gag until I've said what I came for. That way, if you decide to yell, this won't all have been for nothing."

Brandon's racing heart had skipped a beat when Raphael mentioned his sisters. He was dying to rant and rave, to demand what this guy was doing here, and to make certain that he couldn't come _near _his sisters.

"Yeah, I'm feeling it now." Raphael stated over the stiffened man's posture. "Where's _that _protectiveness been this whole time? You ought be ashamed of yourself, hurting your sisters this way. You must think it's none of my business. What do I know about it after all? Well, I'll tell you. I'm one of the guys they tried to explain to you, before you went off on your extended temper tantrum.

Now me personally, I can't say that I was disappointed. You want to run off into the sunset, it's no skin off my back. Life would be a heck of a lot simpler if I didn't have to deal with you at all. Unfortunately, like I said before, this ain't about me. It's about the girls, and the fact that they want you in their lives.

I know you didn't expect to show up in New York, to find out that they had some secret life you didn't know anything about. But that's not the whole story Brandon, they wanted to include you. D'you think this last year has been some big party for them? They've been _consumed_ with guilt over you. Then they try to reach out to you and make things right, and you won't even give 'em the chance.

What's that about anyway? They're your family. Sure they've ticked you off, but that doesn't really change how you feel about them deep down, does it? You take someone like Karina, who's already weighed down with enough guilt to sink an ocean-liner, and you just pile more on top of her shoulders. Is this your way of punishing her and Kat? 'They didn't need me, so now I gotta prove that I don't need them'?" Raphael stated sarcastically, and paused to take an actual breath.

"If this was just me, I wouldn't even be here, probably just wasting my breath like a whole lot of hot air escaping. But for them, for Karina..." He said more emphatically. "Do you even care about what you're doing to her? That's she's walking around so messed up that she can hardly focus on anything, and now doesn't even wanna talk to anyone? Is that the revenge you wanted, to make her feel worthless about herself? Mission complete Brandon.

As much as I'd like to let you go your own way...I care about her more than that. So I'm sorry I had to come in here all heavy like this, but you ain't listening to anybody. Do you think it's _possible_ for you to let go of your anger for a few minutes, long enough to consider whether what you're doing is really the right thing? If you're any kind of real brother, I don't see how you could think that it is. I have brothers too, and they've ticked me off more times than I have room to tell you about. But at the end of the day, you and I have something in common Brandon. The family is all we've got.

I'm gonna take this gag off you now, and give you your own chance to talk. If you wanna yell, be my guest. I'll be gone long before anyone else gets in here, and you'll have lost your opportunity to vent."

A mighty swear was the first thing to escape Brandon's mouth when the turtle turned the fabric loose, but it wasn't a yell. Not really.

"Who are you? What are you doing with my sisters? Is this like some kind of weird cult thing whe--"

Raphael's hand cut the man off from his tirade of questions. "I said you could talk, but what I won't do is answer more than one question at a time. Think you can stick to that rule?"

Brandon was smoldering so hard that he was slightly trembling with the anger, but he wasn't going to get anywhere with this stranger if he didn't cooperate. So he nodded with extreme annoyance, and Raphael withdrew his palm from Brandon's mouth again.

"Who are you?" He asked flatly.

"Names aren't important right now." Raphael informed him. "The only thing you need to know about me is that I'm not your enemy, and I wouldn't do anything to hurt your sisters. I mean _nothing_. And they don't know I'm here, or that I'm doing this."

"If you're a 'good guy', then what's with all the secrecy, huh? Why won't you let me see you right now?"

"All of the ignorance you're living in is your own fault Brandon. Kat and Karina wanted to tell you - you're the one who bailed. You still have the chance to learn the truth, but not from me. If you want in on it, you're going to have to go to them."

"That doesn't make any sense. You're already here, and so am I. Let's get this out in the open already."

Raphael shook his head grimly at him. "Not gonna happen Brandon. Not everyone has the luxury of fitting into your simple version of reality. Some of us are limited by complications that you can't even begin to understand. You should know that we're not strong-arming your sisters. Nobody's asked them to sign their lives away, even if that's sort of what they've done. But they're our friends, and there's nothing I wouldn't do for them. I think tonight proves that without any doubt."

"Then what happens now?" Brandon asked, shifting what small amount of space he could manage in the chair.

Raphael looked over his shoulder, as if concerned with the time. "I've probably pushed my luck here as it is. I think it's time that I said good night."

"What, and you're just gonna leave me like this?"

"No, I wouldn't do that." He answered, as he withdrew an epi-pen from his belt that he'd "borrowed" from the Lab earlier that day just in case he needed it. "This won't hurt you." Raphael reassured him.

"_What_ won't hurt?"

Without further warning, he injected the pen into Brandon's forearm. The man swore at him a second time, even as his head faltered, and his entire body started weighing down. The eyes were the hardest part, and the first to actually fail him. When he slumped over in the chair a few seconds later, Raphael was waiting to catch him.

The turtle transferred him back to the bed, and turned him loose from his restraints, before ducking out of the bedroom. He knew very well in the back of his mind that he could have just made things worse than they were before...but he was done waiting around for the man to come to his own senses.


	39. Truth & Intuition

Leonardo expected it to be Raphael on the phone, and was a little surprised when Tim's number came up on the facing instead.

"Hi Leo, I'm sorry for calling so late." He apologized, the moment the blue-banded turtle answered. "I kind of need one of your famous talks."

"What's bothering you Tim?" Leonardo asked him.

"The same thing that's_ been _bothering me. It's probably dumb of me to wake you--"

"I wasn't asleep. Raph is off on some mystery errand, and I'm kind of waiting up for him. Is this about Calley?"

"She tells me she's alright Leo, but I can't shake my fear concerning her. I keep waking up, expecting to get some phone call that she's run off again."

"Okay, um...first of all, she doesn't know how to work the front door, so she's _sort_ of our captive. Does that make you feel better Tim?" Leonardo asked ironically, enjoying the light chuckle he elicited from the man. "She seems to be doing okay Tim, really." He said more seriously. "She even worked out with Karina this morning. Nothing serious, just some stretching. But she ended up asking questions too, about Karina's own experience. Kari seems to see a spark of desire still inside of her there."

Tim sighed deeply on his side. "Calley was one of the most amazing people to watch. Seeing her on stage was like...seeing magic come to life in the real world."

"The only thing she's said so far about dancing is that she wasn't a prodigy." Leonardo said. "She was very clear about telling me that she was far from the best one out there."

"Not from a technical stand-point maybe. She had to work really hard, and the more complicated routines took her longer to master than the others. It often meant longer practices for her the anyone else. But she had something else, something one of her teachers once told me couldn't be taught. There were so many good performers in that last group she was a part of. Strong girls that could get up on that stage, and put on a dramatic show that could impress you.

But when Calley was up there...it didn't feel like a performance, like an artist putting on a show. She had this way of capturing the pure passion and emotion of a dance, in a way that could completely overwhelm anyone who saw it. She had the most powerful effect over an audience, almost like...she made them forget they were even watching a performance. She became what she was portraying, and it didn't _feel _like an act. She had this remarkable ability to accurately deliver the required emotion, in a way that made people sense it as strongly as though they were experiencing it themselves.

That's the kind of dancer she was Leo, and I know she loved doing it. I always had the feeling that the day she walked away from it, was one of the saddest of her entire life. And it was the first unexpected sign that something was going wrong in the background, that she was headed in a different direction. She'd never talk about why she quit. Honestly, I think she still misses it, no matter what she openly admits." Tim finished softly.

* * *

Leonardo was resting his head in a contemplative silence when the front door opened, and his red-banded brother shuffled inside. "Hey." He sat up at once to greet him. "Did you do what you needed to?"

"Pretty much." He answered. "Have you got a second Fearless?"

"I wasn't waiting up for my health. What's going on Raph?"

"Let me grab something, and I'll be right back." Raphael said a little briskly, and disappeared into the kitchen,

He returned a few seconds later with an icepack wrapped in a towel, and rested it gingerly against his left eyes.

"What'd you do Raph? Are you okay?"

"It's cool Leo - I just got smacked in the eye."

"By who? Let me see it." Leonardo requested, turning up his lamp brighter.

Raphael reluctantly tugged at the edge of his mask, and allowed him to see the swelling injury.

"Did you get into a fight, or what?"

"It wasn't really like that. I went to see Brandon."

"You went to_...what_?"

"I went to Marc's apartment to talk to him, and no, I didn't let him see me."

"Then how'd you end up with a bruise? Why didn't you just tell me where you were going?"

"You wouldn't have liked it Leo. I didn't hurt him, but I did restrain the guy. I didn't know how else to control him."

"So what, you just walked in and scared the crap out of him?" Leonardo said reproachfully.

"He didn't _seem_ that scared Leo, especially near the end. Maybe it wasn't the way to get through to him, but I couldn't sit back and do nothing."

Leonardo sighed heavily as his younger brother crossed both arms in front of his chest. "That was probably a little rash Raph. What's he going to think of us now?"

"I don't care what he thinks of _me_." Raphael said stubbornly. "Just that he comes down off his high horse long enough to make up with his sisters."

"You didn't leave him tied up I hope."

"Nah Leo, I drugged him so I could--"

"You drugged him? Are you _trying_ to make this sound worse?"

"I didn't hurt him Fearless, and I didn't want to be forced to defend myself. So yeah, I sedated him when we were finished, and let him go."

Leonardo rolled his dark eyes again. "I hope that you didn't just make a worse case out of this."

* * *

Raphael had already gone upstairs, and Leonardo was about to head that way himself, when he heard the sound of someone coming down the hall. He peered around the corner out of curiosity, and saw Calley wandering in the direction of the practice room.

"Hi." He called out softly. "You alright?"

She whipped around so fast that he could tell he'd startled her, but her expression immediately softened when she saw him.

"I can't settle down." She replied morosely. "I thought if I stretched out like I did this morning, I might actually get some sleep."

Calley hesitated for a beat, shifting one leg slightly behind the other awkwardly. "You wanna come?" She asked him.

"Sure." He answered, and fell into step behind her.

The blue-banded turtle backed against the wall and sank into a cross-legged position to the side, as the young woman started pressing one leg at a time to its' fullest extent. He watched in silence for a short while, recognizing the way the lines in her face clearly relaxed somewhat over the passing minutes.

"Calley, can I ask you a question? And you don't have to go here if you don't want to. I'm just wondering about something." He finally said.

She made brief eye contact in the middle of what she was doing. "You're here, so ask."

"Why did you give up dancing?"

She exhaled slightly, and didn't answer immediately. "It's kind of complicated. I've never been able to sufficiently explain it to someone else...but I'll try." She told him. "Ever since I was a kid, I would get these feelings about people. It wasn't something that I tried to do, it just happened...More and more as I got older."

"What kind of feelings?"

She rubbed the back of her head as if suddenly self conscious, and braced against the wall across from him. "Like...what other people are experiencing emotionally, that came easily. Later on it became a little more about character, seeing beyond what people only tried to portray. When I first started to notice it, I kind of thought it was just in my head. That was until I started asking questions, and found out that a lot of the sensations, the feelings I was getting over other people? They were correct. I _never_ thought of it like some weird psychic thing. My dad used to tell me I was in a constant state of heightened perception, or intuition." Calley explained slowly, and Leonardo waited for her to continue.

"The feeling that I got from dancing...there was nothing like it in the world. I wasn't as good as the others, but in my own head, I honestly didn't care. I suppose it intimidated me when I was a kid, but eventually the joy of simply participating in it overpowered everything else.

I had this new teacher when I was fourteen, and she took a real interest in me for some reason. She recognized that I needed more help than the other girls, and started pushing me outside of class time. After months of working that way alongside her, she began singling me out for certain parts in performances, roles that...I don't know that I deserved. And I wasn't the only one who felt that way.

The discontent and resentment from the others started out so quietly, like a whisper that you could barely hear over the wind. Over months it got louder and louder, until my relationships with most of them were so strained, they were non-existent. I was trying so hard in the extra sessions I was getting with the instructor, sessions where I still had to work twice as hard as the others, and still couldn't achieve their level of mastery. By the time I was 16, I only had one real friend left in the class, one girl who didn't harbor ill feelings toward me as the 'undeserving teacher's pet'.

There was going to be a special showcase that Spring, that a lot of important people were going to see. If you impressed the right ones, it would effect any real future that we had in the dancing world. There were several very good roles up to be filled, and when it came time to distribute them, my teacher ended up giving me a prominent role again.

I'll never forget walking into the room that day, when the results had been posted. No one said a word to me. Not one. But underneath, there was such a powerful sense of seething, writhing anger, and yes, hatred. Pure hate that I'd never felt from anyone, let alone my fellow students, some of whom I'd trained with since I was a kid. My only friend left wouldn't even look at me.

Taking the resentment from her was the hardest blow yet, and I couldn't deal with it. The accusing eyes, all the suspicious glances. They thought that there was some kind of 'back-room deal' going on, that I was receiving an unfair advantage. So I left. I walked out, and that was it." Calley finished quietly, crossing her arms over each other protectively. "I didn't even know what to do with myself after giving it up. It felt like all the colors in the world had faded away to black and white. I didn't know how to verbalize it, or explain it in a way that someone could understand back then. It was the most crushing thing I'd ever been through...and then, there was my Mom.

While I'd been dancing, I was so occupied with everyday practices and training that I didn't have to notice what was going on with her. I knew it was there, but I didn't have to deal with it. Dancing was my escape from her, the one place that...that I was myself. Walking away from it forced me to face her in a way that I hadn't wanted to, and finally, to confront her.

That was the last night that I saw her actually. The night that I challenged her behaviour, and told her to either quit it, or leave my dad and I the heck alone. She was already gone when I woke up in the morning, and I was the one who'd pushed her. I'm the reason she ran. I should have let my dad handle it, I should never have thought that she'd listen to_ me_." Calley had to stop for a few seconds as her voice broke, and frustrating tears came to the surface.

Leonardo rose and approached her carefully, sitting back down at her side as she tried to get some control back.

"I hate her. I hate her. I _hate_ her!" Each repetition of the phrase became more emphatic than the last.

Leonardo took her squarely by the shoulders, forcing her gently to look at him. "Hate will destroy you Calley. And it'll do more damage to you personally, than it could ever do to your Mom. For _your_ sake, you have to find a way to let go of it."

"I don't know how."

"Forgiveness doesn't start as a feeling, it's a decision. You make the conscious choice...and the rest of you will eventually catch up. You'll never be a whole person if you hold onto this."


	40. Stake Out

Michelangelo was the first one to see Greg late the next morning, as the man walked into the Den with one of the widest grins he'd ever seen on him. The orange-masked turtle was duly curious, as Greg plunked down into one of the chairs.

"What's up Heff? You look like you're about to burst up in here." The turtle asked him.

"Ask me what I did yesterday." He replied.

Michelangelo could no longer repress a smile of his own. "Alright dude," He said obligingly. "What'd you do yesterday?"

"I found our connection inside." Greg answered, and would have gone on if Donatello had spoken up from behind him.

"Inside where Heff?"

"Get your other brothers in here, and I'll explain everything."

It only took a few seconds to interrupt the two oldest turtles from their katas, to join the rest of them in the living area.

"Speak man, don't keep us in suspense." Raphael urged Greg. "What'd you find out?"

"Off the positive identifications that you and Leo made from the footage, I was able to locate two of the individuals over the last couple of days. Since I'm on my own here, I chose to focus on tracking one of them at a time. I cracked the signal of his cell phone on Wednesday, been listening in on him ever since."

"That's not exactly legal at this point, right?" Leonardo ventured.

"No, of course not." Greg replied. "None of this little solo investigation is."

"And you're sure that none of this stuff is going to lead back to you?" Michelangelo asked nervously.

"He's been protected the whole way Mikey." Donny reassured him swiftly. "Ever since we brought him on board to help us find Luke last year. He operates under my cloaking software, so that any trail that he could have been leaving while using the FBI technology is effectively covered. I've got his back."

"Anyway." Greg called for attention again. "I intercepted a couple of interesting calls last night, and a third one this morning. Their talk has been very questionable, even though they weren't blatantly discussing their plans. They've been referring to a 'pick-up', establishing times, coordinating efforts. I looked up the address after the last call this morning, and it turned out to be some club on the west side of Manhattan. Everything they're referring to, is going down there tomorrow night."

"That doesn't give me much time." Donny murmured.

The blue-banded turtle's mind was already in strategy mode. "It's enough." Leonardo affirmed. "We just can't do any waiting around. Greg, is it possible that you could be our eyes inside?"

"I was thinking along the same lines, though it wouldn't hurt to have another set in there besides mine." The man replied.

Donatello rose with a kind of determined finality, that immediately attracted the others' attention.

"Going so soon genius?" Raphael asked.

"I have to," He replied. "Doc and I haven't finished the antidote for their drug of choice yet. We got a whole lot closer thanks to that sample Doc recovered, but it isn't ready."

"Honestly speaking Donny, do you think it can be ready by tomorrow?" Leonardo asked seriously.

His younger brother nodded. "I do. I just need to throw everything I have into it _today_, and it would help to get Doc down here. I don't want us to walk into this unprepared."

"Then go, and we'll work on hammering out the other details." Leo said decisively.

* * *

34 Hours Later

"I don't get why this is necessary." Raphael grumbled for the fourth time since leaving the Den that evening.

"It's going to be alright, she and Jenna are going to stay together Raph. There's a lot of ground to cover inside, and we can't afford to lose track of the targets." Leonardo told him.

Raphael grunted something indiscernible as he climbed out of the driver's side, and both turtles walked around the blind-side of the van to where the others were lingering around Greg's Liberty. The man had his trunk open, and was sifting through various ear-pieces to make certain he had enough components out for everyone that needed them.

Raphael had no complaints about Greg or Katherine being involved - this kind of thing had been their livelihood for several years. But he'd balked strongly at the idea of Jenna and Karina planting themselves amidst the crowd inside as well. As Karina caught his gaze now, she rolled green eyes at him.

"You'd think we were being thrown to the wolves. It's gonna be fine Raph." She said to him.

"They _are_ wolves Kari." Raphael said a little darkly.

"I'm a grown woman Raph. Do you think I've never been hit on before? I can handle it, believe me."

He reached for her shoulder, as she started to turn to pick up her own equipment. "Are you still mad at me?"

"I was never _mad_ at you for going to see Brandon." She answered. "I should have expected it - you're just as impetuous as the day is long. You should have told me you were going...But I know your heart was in the right place."

Karina couldn't resist smiling at the ultra concerned look in his amber eyes. "I have to finish getting ready now, and you two need to get into position too, don't you?"

"Yeah. I guess I'll see you in a couple hours." He replied, and made an unobtrusive motion to Jenna as Karina went the other direction.

The dark-haired woman gave him a reassuring smile. "I won't let Karina out my sight Raph." She told him, before he could say a single thing.

"If any guys gets 'happy hands', you'd better handle it Jen. Don't make me come in there myself."

She tested her fist firmly against her opposite palm, and Raphael nodded knowingly.

"Atta girl."

* * *

Leonardo and Raphael retreated to a similar perch as they'd taken the _last _time that they'd been camped outside of a club. His red-banded brother was tense, as if every muscle inside his body was contracting at once. They'd dropped Donatello and Michelangelo off a little earlier to get into their own individual positions on the ground, and by this time all four humans were inside the club as well. The hour of the rendezvous had passed, and that meant that the Akiudo's "inside" crew had arrived by now as well.

At present their "watchers" in the club were the only ones who had anything to do. Everyone else was waiting on pins and needles outside for something to happen. Over his open radio channel, Leonardo heard the sound of Greg's voice speak up first.

"I think our targets are converging as one unit now. They didn't arrive together, but now it looks like...we've got at least ten on the prowl. Definitely stalking something specific."

"_Someone_." Katherine corrected into the mike. "And if we're sticking with an Asian profile on our victims, I think I may have spotted their intended targets. I'm trying to keep in close range."

"Be sure to utilize Jen and Karina too - and let us know if they make any kind of real move in there." Leonardo requested. "We have to get a couple things rolling out here, before they ever step foot outside."

* * *

Between their contacts on the inside shifting positions over the course of an hour, they kept a fixed but hidden eye on the situation as it unfolded in front of them. The crew in question was making nice with four Asian patrons who were obviously together, and hadn't spoken more than a dozen words of english in between them since entering the club.

The watchers allowed a small distance between them, so as not to spook the men prematurely. Drinks had long ago been passed, and if that was their method of drugging, it would only be a matter of time before the women started to suffer a reaction.

Outside, all four turtles had remained motionless, until a distinctly familiar vehicle pulled into the alley. Leonardo snapped up the digital binoculars that Donny had outfitted him with, and adjusted the zoom to get a look at the driver. He snorted under his breath immediately, and nudged Raphael's shoulder.

"Deja vu bro."

"Is it the big guy? Seriously?"

"The very same. It might be time to spring Mikey - let me communicate with the inside first." Leonardo paused to adjust his mouth-piece, and addressed everyone at once over the open channel. "We've got a familiar face in play out here, looks like someone is getting set to receive his cargo. I was thinking it would be a good time to release the bait on our end, does anyone object to that?"

He received strong affirmations to continue from Greg and Katherine, and then heard Michelangelo's somewhat stifled whoop.

"Bait is ready and rarin' to go." The orange-masked turtle stated a little gleefully.

"Don't take any unnecessary risks Mike." Leonardo reminded him. "Stay ahead of him, but keep his interest."

Raphael shook his head in irritation at Leonardo's last statement. "What are the chances that he's_ not _going to get himself into trouble Fearless?"

"Mike's got a lot of speed on this guy Raph. He can do this." The blue-banded turtle said confidently. "Now let's just wait, and see if this plays out how we're hoping it will."

* * *

Daichi was waiting silently in the cab of the van, mindlessly tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. He was ready to make this connection and get home; it had been a long day already, and he was rather tired. When he first saw the cloaked figure darting toward the van in his driver's side mirror, he thought that his eyes could be playing tricks on him. But no, the shape was moving deliberately toward him, and looked as if he were carrying something under one arm.

The form halted just past his driver's side door, and cast what was probably an antagonistic look over his shoulder at Daichi, before darting away from the vehicle down the side of the alleyway. The man leaped out of the van, and fumbled with his cell-phone as he ran a few yards.

"Yukiko-san? We have a situation, some character hanging around where he shouldn't have been, and now he's bolting. Permission to pursue?"

"As long as your back-up is in place. Don't let him escape." Was her only response.

* * *

Leo and Raph watched the man's mad dash after their youngest brother, and waited with baited breath until they were both out of sight. Then the blue-banded turtle turned to his mouthpiece again.

"C'mon out Donny, you're on." He instructed him on the ground.

The purple-banded turtle materialized seemingly out of nowhere from among a stack of crates, and made a short jog over to the van. He dropped to the pavement, and carefully slid underneath the vehicle, after turning on his head-lamp so that he could go in hands' free. Expert fingers felt around the fuel tank, until he located the pump that was mounted on the outer edge of it.

Once he'd gotten a hand on it, Donatello made a small adjustment on his own mechanism that would act as a shock absorber, to prevent any real sparks while he was dealing with the complications that could occur. He fastened the small device to the undercarriage of the van, and then went to work on the bolts that were holding the fuel pump in place. He let the pump drop slightly, so that he could access to the wires above it.

His first task was disconnecting the in and out fuel lines, followed by the power wires that gave the mechanism its' juice to begin with. Once everything was safely disconnected, he pulled the entire pump free, removing it from it's position on the fuel tank, and dropped it on the ground. Then he backed up slowly, pausing by one of the back tire wells, so that he could insert a tracking device where it wouldn't be easily accessible.

The whole point was to slow them down, not to incapactiate them completely. They wanted to prevent them from being able to get away immediately, but not from being able to fix the vehicle and take it home.

As he was finishing planting the tracking device, he noticed the van above him physically rock from side to side. Holding his breath, he retained his position, and called Leonardo at once.

"Fearless, I think we've got company down here already." He hissed, hardly above a whisper. "Either someone's in the back of this van, or it's coming to life all on it's own."

"I'd say that's pretty unlikely, wouldn't you?" Leonardo replied. "Do you have anything in your kit, something that would be small enough to jam the lock?"

The purple-banded turtle chuckled under his breath. "Absolutely. I'm finished under here, so I'll take a quick look at the door myself."

He crawled out from underneath the van, dusting off both hands before diving back into his tool kit. He located a small rod that looked like it would do the trick, and silently inserted it into the key-hole of the back door, twisting it slowly so he wouldn't attract attention.

Then Donatello bounded away from the vehicle, back into the cover of the shadows.

"I'm set down here, the van's not going anywhere fast, and the back door ought hold them for awhile. I can't guarantee that it's fool-proof, but it ought buy us some time." Donny told Leonardo.

"Good work Donny. Stay out of sight, but try to work your way closer to the street. If they've got reinforcements, we want to be prepared for them."

"You got it." He replied, and clicked off.

The next voice to cut in was clearly Jenna's accent. "Eight guys are on their way out, they're definitely heading for the side exit." She said smoothly. "They've got a couple of them creating some kinda massive distraction, sort of got security all in an uproar on the opposite end of the club."

"We're ready for them." Leonardo said coolly.


	41. The Last Straw

Michelangelo had intentionally slowed down a little to make certain that Daichi stayed with him, sticking to the path that he'd already made a previous run-through on hours earlier. He was familiar with every corner, curve, and fence that he was approaching, and mentally reminding himself of what was next. Losing the hulking man on the ground would have been a ridiculously easy task for the fastest of the four turtles, but he was supposed to be keeping him busy, not leaving him in the dust.

He threw a glance over his shoulder as the footsteps behind him faded somewhat again, and couldn't help laughing. "C'mon buddy, stay with me." He called aloud. "You can do it big fella! You want the bone? Come _get_ the bone!" Michelangelo raised his voice teasingly, so that his tail would hear the last part.

Michelangelo carefully rolled over a section of the fence that he'd only recently clipped a portion of razor wire from, and landed nimbly on his feet on the other side. When the man's larger frame tried to perform the same feat, it left him a little injured, as traces of the wire raked across his arms and chest. He was moving slightly slower, and Michelangelo realized it was going to become too obvious that he was holding back from the speed that he was capable of.

This time the turtle slowed down again with a bit of a forced limp as though injured himself, to encourage the monstrosity behind him not to give up the chase. He was trying very hard to take this job seriously, but he couldn't help laughing under his breath as he continued giving the man the run around.

* * *

Leonardo and Raphael had dropped to the ground in preparation for the crew inside leaving the club, and were waiting just out of sight when the side door came open. Revealing themselves to someone had never felt quite that satisfying to Raphael before. There was an audible gasp from several mouths at once when some of the group instantly recognized the two figures standing in front of them, as if they were reliving the same experience all over again.

Raphael smirked at the one up front who seemed most aghast, and shook his head at him. "Nice to see ya again. We can tell you've learned absolutely _nothing_. Guess that means we're gonna have to smack your heads together a little harder this time, huh?"

At the red-banded turtle's words, three of the eight men literally bolted, not hesitating another second in the alley. Though it irked the turtles to let them escape, they had to be _more_ concerned with protecting the new girls the rest of them were still attempting to leave with. They quickly turned on the men that remained behind, a couple of whom hadn't been present before, and therefore didn't know any better.

As Raphael sent a rapid thrust into the chin of the thug in front of him, he also picked up the sound of scuffling and thudding coming from the van sitting nearby. "Sorry your boys can't be here to bail you out." He snickered at the man on his right, as the turtle ducked his feeble attempt to hit him.

Leonardo easily tripped the one trying to dodge past him to get to the van, and caught the next two before they could even think about doing the same thing. Between Raph and himself, only one man was still hovering back near the building by the girls, a defensive posture quivering in his shoulders as he forced himself to stand his ground. He was unwilling to run, despite that fact that the rest of his team had either fled, or were otherwise incapacitated.

As Leonardo took a step toward him, he saw the flash of silver from the man's jacket, and cried out a warning to Raphael before the gun could get completely raised. Both turtles darted opposite directions as the man unloaded several hurried shots, not actually coming close to hitting anything except the dumpster.

Just as suddenly as he'd started firing, yet another familiar figure dashed outside. Gunman was distracted enough in that instant, giving Raphael precious seconds to bull forward. He landed a shattering kick to the man's wrist to disarm him, and then an even harder blow across his mid-section. Meanwhile, Leonardo was coolly facing the woman's shadowy outline, fingers twitching slightly as he considered drawing his katana. But he had no intention of using the blades, not unless she was bearing a similar type of weapon.

"You won't get off so easily this time." She proclaimed to the unmoving turtle.

Leonardo felt Raphael shifting in his stance, and shook his head lightly in his brother's direction. Raphael understood his cue, and maintained his distance near the captives, watching now to make sure that nothing else got near them, while keeping aware of Leonardo as well. On the outer edge of the alley, Donatello was waiting for some sign of the Akiudo's further back-up, scanning every car that came within range of his sight. He'd also fielded a radio-call from Greg, to assure the man that no one had just been hurt or killed in the gunfire that most of the city block had to have heard. He was still having a seriously hard time keeping focused on the street, and not what was happening a few yards away inside the alley.

Yukiko sensed Leonardo's hesitation to actually attack her, and used it to her own advantage. Her smaller frame and lightning reflexes made her surprisingly much more agile than almost any opponent she'd ever faced, and she had the experience of already witnessing these creatures in action before. Her own style was somewhat more refined than most of the other men, more true to the form that Splinter had adhered to.

Leonardo ducked and feigned out of her reach, as he tried to grasp a sense of her own motion, and what her next move against him could end up being. She knew that he was studying her, holding back partially because he was getting a feel for her rhythm, and partially because he didn't want to attack any stronger than he needed to. Therefore, her best chance at defeating the creature would be to act quickly, before he'd honestly exploded.

Yukiko had intentionally woven a discernible pattern for him to follow, but then abruptly whirled the opposite direction than he would have been expecting, landing a hard kick to the turtle's jaw. Leonardo hadn't been fully prepared for the power behind it, but had enough balance underneath him to stay on his own two feet.

He threw his shoulders back and stood his ground, simply waiting for her to step in close again. When the second attempt was made for his face, Leonardo spun directly into her, successfully throwing the woman off of her own balance. She recovered swiftly, and the strange dance they were performing resumed.

Donatello heard the sirens from a ways off, and had a sinking feeling that_ too _many other people had heard those gunshots. None of them had any idea of the pandemonium that had already exploded inside because of the crew's "distraction technique", or that several people were being herded in the direction of the side door to the alley at that very moment. The purple-banded turtle had been about to shout a warning to his brothers about the impending cops, when that side door blasted open, and streams of clubbers poured into the alley.

A bewildered Leonardo ducked out of range of another lunge from Yukiko, as people filtered around them. Raphael flattened as close to the ground as he could, using his shell as a barricade against anyone accidentally trampling the unconscious young women. It was then that both turtles distinctly heard Donatello's voice rise above the din.

"_Guys_! We've got cops!"

Yukiko had already cut off her own attack of Leonardo now that there were so many witnesses present, and shoved her way through the panicking clubbers to get to the disabled van, where six-able bodied warriors were currently trapped. Leonardo wanted to go after her, but the arrival of law enforcement was pushing him to make sure everyone got out of there, including himself.

"Raph, Donny, fall back to position one!" He commanded loudly, and reached for his radio as he rushed forward to get back under the complete cover of darkness.

Each turtle went a separate direction, not so much concerned at staying together among the growing throng of people outside. They would meet back up underground, away from the heat. As Leonardo hopped a fence and headed down another quieter street, he adjusted his mouthpiece again to reach Greg.

"Heff, are you close by? We had to split - their carriage is disabled, and the package is intact!"

"James and I are fighting our way outside, things got_ nuts _in here!"

"We're heading down, keep in touch!" Leonardo replied.

"We will Leo - get yourselves out of dodge!"

* * *

By the time the two former partners got outside, cops had already swarmed the alley, and they noted with some relief that the girls were safely in their hands. Greg flashed his FBI badge to satisfy a couple of them, and continued poking around a little bit more. Katherine was standing behind the now empty van, back doors wide open for the entire world to see inside.

"The guys aren't the only ones who got away." She muttered to Greg.

* * *

Michelangelo had ditched Daichi on Leonardo's order a couple of minutes prior, and was now making his own way to the nearest manhole to get back underground and find the others. He trotted silently through the shadows, staying on the street only long enough to put himself into better range of where his brothers would end up.

He picked up the pace when he climbed back under the street, and was only a little breathless by the time that he saw Donatello's light. Michelangelo pulled up a few feet short of them with a triumphant call. "That was _awesome_!"

"The good news is, they didn't get the girls." Leonardo affirmed as his youngest brother joined them.

"The bad news is, the cops wrecked our chance at tracking their van." Donatello added morosely. "They're gonna impound the thing for sure. Why'd that idiot have to go and shoot up the alley?"

"He couldn't hit the broad side of a barn." Raphael snorted in response to Mike's concerned look.

Leonardo leaned slightly against the tunnel wall, pressing a palm carefully against his throbbing jaw. "It wasn't perfect, but at least we're all here...and those girls are going to be alright. That will have to be enough for now."

* * *

Takashi's normally well controlled exterior was in a very dangerous place now. Not a soul had dared approach him for several minutes, not since Yukiko's phone call, when his aggression had come bubbling to the surface like a geyser of sudden force. He was taking out said frustration by venting on a sand dummy, until he literally decapitated the thing with his violence. Only then did his breathing even start to slow down, and the rational side of him began stirring.

He'd received a package in the P.O. Box from Shirou days before, which contained a digital recording of his son's recent conversation with a prison inmate, who claimed personal ties to the objects of his current wrath. He'd yet to contact Shirou, but was so livid now, he was willing to stoop to any level.

"Shirou." He said shortly, after dialing the new number that had been included in the packet. "I want the Phantoms. If your source can get them, your_ own _position is assured."

"Takashi-sama, it is good to hear from you. I am yours to command." The young man answered with pleasure. "You do realize what he is demanding of us?"

"We'll make it happen. You have my word that none of us will lay hand to you - but we need your source's location. We have work to do."


	42. Timing

Jenna and Karina picked up the Battle Shell from where Leonardo and Raphael had left it on the street, and then headed to meet back up with everyone underground. The humans arrived back at the Den first since they had the use of the vehicles, and the guys were on foot.

Calley had barely been able to sit still while they were gone, hating every single thing about the situation. Luke had done his best to try and occupy her, but he was secretly almost as anxious as she was. Some of that burden was relieved when the others got back, and could give them a better account of what had happened inside of the Club.

"They made quite a ruckus." Greg said, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "When they were preparing to make their exit, two of their own picked a fight with each other directly in front of some security guards. I mean, they were just wailing. It set off this chain reaction of events, and before we knew it, there was practically a riot on our hands."

"The police had already been called, and then when the gun went off outside, it must have at least tripled their response." Kat added to her former partner. "It seemed like half the place was going crazy by the time they arrived. It was insane - but at least the guys got away amongst it. It almost felt like old times, getting to knock a few heads together in there."

"You just _can't_ stay away from the action, can you?" Luke complained a little sternly.

"I was never in any danger Luke - I can still handle myself y'know." She emphasized to her husband,

"I know you can - better than I could have. I'm only thinking of--"

"The baby's fine Luke. I think he enjoyed it too." She added with a slight smile.

"He?" Karina echoed curiously.

"Or she." Katherine corrected herself instantly. "It's still too early to confirm either way, right Doc?" She said a little feistier to try and get him to relax.

"But it's not too early to stress the baby out." He grumbled dryly. "It just figures, that's all. It was supposed to be a simple surveillance mission. I should have known it would have to blow up out of control."

"Is anything _ever_ that simple Luke?" She couldn't help asking.

"Don't get used to it again Kat, that's all I'm saying." He replied gruffly.

"You're sure that the guys got away?" Calley asked nervously, as the only one who currently wasn't being amused by Luke and Kat's exchange. "We know that they're definitely alright?"

Greg nodded at her firmly. "I talked to them about fifteen minutes ago Calley, and they're all underground. Trust me, we wouldn't have left them back there, not without knowing that they'd already escaped. Ask your Dad - we're known to go to some interesting lengths when it comes to sneaking them out of sticky situations. The stupid crowd played a convenient role this time, provided them some good cover to get away."

* * *

Despite their failure to get a tracking device in motion, the four brothers were still in rather good spirits when they got back to the Den. There they proceeded to recount their own individual experiences to the entire group now that they were together. Michelangelo was in the middle of a spirited telling of Daichi plowing over the razor wire after him, when Luke returned to the living area from the kitchen with an icepack for Leonardo.

"I know you're going to tell me that it's no big deal, but I still wouldn't mind getting a look at that." He told the blue-banded turtle under his breath, while Mike was still talking to the others.

Leonardo motioned his head toward the Lab ever so slightly, and then repeated the action, as if to silently communicate he'd rather talk there.

Luke cleared his throat to excuse himself over the orange-masked turtle's story. "I'm going to steal Leonardo for a couple of minutes - I want a quick look at him."

Leonardo felt Donny's quizzical glance, and waved him off before his brother could rise. "I don't need more than one person's hands on me at a time Don." He reassured him. "You just relax here, and I'll be back in a little while."

Luke shut the door behind the both of them in the Lab, and then immediately turned a curious glance of his _own_ on Leonardo. "Okay, what's wrong? You didn't even bother telling me that it was fine first."

"My jaw hurts more than it should Doc. I don't _feel_like anything's broken, but still...I've been hit in the face enough times that I know when something's off." He admitted.

"Alright. Sit down, and let me have a thorough look here."

Luke probed carefully by touch first, before advancing to taking a couple of scans with Donatello's device. After that he had the turtle sit tight with the icepack, while he got an in depth view of the scans he'd just taken by uploading them to one of the computers.

"You're right about nothing being broken...but there _is_ a small hairline fracture. Those can end up being more painful than if the bone had a clean break. I'm seeing a significant amount of bleeding under the skin, so you'll bruise up something fierce. Did you have any other symptoms you need to tell me about? Dizziness, vision issues, anything at all?"

"No, not that I noticed. I'm going to assume there's nothing that you can really do for it."

"Nothing that would help." Luke verified. "Just ice, and keep your face away from the mat for a few days. I'm not saying you can't work out, I just don't want you or your brothers accidentally making this worse."

"Yeah, about them. Do you think we can not make a big deal out of this?"

Luke shot him a look, and shook his head. "As long as you're careful with it, huh?"

* * *

It took awhile for things to even begin to settle down underground, and for everyone to unwind from the interesting evening. Luke, Kat, and Greg had gone their own way back to the surface to get some sleep. Michelangelo was still a bundle of nervous energy that he hadn't been able to work off, so he ended up grabbing one his boards to do some shredding to get rid of it.

Donatello and Jenna had returned to their own room to relax in each other's company, leaving Raphael and Leonardo with the other two girls in the living area. None of them were really tired so they were simply lingering around the TV, having picked up a movie that was about a third of the way through on a network station.

Leonardo and Calley disappeared into the kitchen at some point to get something to eat, and about twenty minutes had passed before Karina sat up from leaning on Raphael's shoulder.

"Haven't they been gone for awhile?" She wondered aloud.

Raphael shrugged slightly, but then glanced over his shoulder as he heard them returning, without any sign of food.

"I thought you guys were hungry." Raphael commented when they came to sit back down.

"Oh, I think we forgot." Calley giggled a little, for what was the first time that any of them had heard. "That _is_ why we went in there, isn't it?"

"Well, what were you doing then?" Karina asked with a completely straight face, though she was fighting to hold back a smile.

"Talking." Leonardo answered. "And I got some new ice."

"What'd Doc say about you anyway?" Raphael asked.

"It's fine, he just asked that no one hit me in the face for a few days." Leonardo replied ironically.

"I'll try to hold back Fearless." The red-banded turtle snickered.

"Aw." Calley said mock sympathetically, as she threw one arm lightly over the blue-banded turtle's shoulder. "You guys need to be nice to each other when you're hurt."

Leonardo grinned. "See? She gets it Raph. You need to be nice to me."

Raphael snorted under his breath. "I said I'd try, didn't I?"

* * *

When the last four finally decided to go to bed, Leonardo had an unexpected knock at his door. "C'mon in." He called.

Raphael's head poked inside a moment later. "Hey. You got a minute for me?"

"Sure. What's on your mind?"

"That's what I was gonna ask _you_ actually. Is there anything you wanna talk about Leo? Anything at all?"

"Like what Raph?"

_He won't make this easy of course, _the red-banded turtle rolled his eyes inwardly. "I don't know." He said aloud, trying to keep his tone completely even. "We've had a lot going on over the last few weeks."

"You can say that again." Leonardo agreed with him.

"And I'm just wondering here, y'know?" Raphael went on, revealing absolutely nothing about what he was actually thinking.

"Wondering about what? Just spit it out Raph, you don't normally have a problem speaking your mind." Leonardo finished with a smile.

"I was thinking...I've noticed that um...you and Calley, you seem awful comfortable together."

"And that means what exactly?"

"I don't know Leo, that's why I'm talkin' to you. It kinda seems like...like there's something going on there."

Leonardo's dark eyes darted to the door, as if by some magic the woman could have heard him utter the words. "Raph, there's _nothing_ going on between us, believe me. We're friends, we talk. She's been through a lot, and I'm trying to help her continue sorting things out. But there's nothing going on." He repeated.

"So you don't have any feelings for her then?"

"Geesh Raph, even if I could...even if she..._No_. No, that wouldn't happen, regardless."

"Why's that Leo? You only feel sorry enough for the worthless druggie to be her friend?"

The words had barely left Raphael's mouth, when his older brother slammed him hard into the bedroom door.

"She's_ not _worthless! You have no right to say that!" He hardly managed to keep his enraged voice down in the least, as he pinned the turtle firmly against the door frame.

It took him a few seconds to realize how hard he was gripping him, and then to slowly let go.

"Don't _ever_ say that." He said more quietly, as Raphael's eye-ridges rose suggestively.

"I don't think she_ is _Leo - I just wanted a real reaction from you, and I think I got it. So do you wanna try this again? You have feelings for her."

Leonardo backed away from him, and sank wearily to his mattress. "Leave it alone Raph. Even if I do, it doesn't change anything. The timing would still be completely wrong. She's just getting back into her Dad's life, and she needs to focus on getting better."

"Leo, I think you _are_ making her better." Raphael said seriously.

"Please stop talking about this." He requested firmly. "And don't say anything to the others either. I know how this talk can get out of hand, and I don't want it finding its' way back to her. Let this be the end of it, because it's not happening."


	43. Fugitive

*** To EMT's everywhere...I sincerely apologize.**

**

* * *

**

The sight of the oxygen mask and various individuals working on the man, were a stark contrast to the shackles that were still firmly connected him to the gurney. The restrained prisoner was having a hard time reminding himself that he _wasn't _actually having a heart attack, even though that was definitely what his outward symptoms were portraying. He knew it had been a risk to trust the drug the Akiudo had smuggled behind the walls for him, but it was all worth it to him for the chance of breathing free air again.

In the back of his mind, he'd wished at least a couple of dozen times that the turtles had killed him at their previous encounter, rather than leaving him for the authorities and prison. To be walled in without hope of getting out _was_ a fate worse than death for him. But he was no longer without hope, a change in his fate that was ironically connected to the same creatures that had put him here. Even as he was struggling to breathe on his own, he couldn't help reveling a little in that fact.

_It will pass. It will pass, and they're coming. Dang, it's weird to just lie here, knowing that's it coming, just not wh--_

The sharp veering turn the ambulance made in that instant interrupted his thought process, and startled the EMT's in the back of the van as well. The three technicians fought to steady both the gurney and their equipment, before making an attempt to communicate with the driver up front, to find out what on earth was going on.

The crew was puzzled when they didn't receive an immediate response; but then, they had no way of knowing that the two people currently up front were not a part of their original team. The ambulance picked up speed again, along with the sensation of ascending, as it traveled up a somewhat steep incline.

The prisoner alone had an inkling of what was actually taking place, but kept the smug smile to himself, and continued sucking down oxygen like a good patient. The EMT's were rightfully confused by the change in direction that the vehicle had taken, but there wasn't anything they could do while the van was in motion, and the driver still hadn't responded to their hail.

Near the top of the overlooking hill the ambulance came to a short stop, and one of the technicians dashed for the back doors to find out what was going on. By the time he had them open, he was startled to see that their vehicle had already been boxed in by a couple of others, and that there were several figures clothed entirely in black positioned nearby.

Instant fear seized the man, and he attempted to shut the doors almost as quickly as he'd opened them to begin with. But someone was already in range to get a grip on one of them, and yanked it back open so that the shapely form of what was clearly a woman could get access to it. She hurled one of her pellets into the back of the ambulance over the stunned EMT's shoulder, and then the monster of a man holding the door open slammed it with sudden force.

The following fumes made even the prisoner clench stinging eyes shut, but unlike the technicians, he wasn't susceptible to breathing it in, as his airway was already protected by the oxygen mask he was outfitted in. He simply waited while they dropped like flies, and then for the doors to re-open. A full three minutes passed before there was a stirring on the other side of the doors, and fresh air poured into the back once more.

The man raised his head as far as he could manage, eyes watering as he forced them open to see what was going on. He was surprised to see a woman of clearly Asian descent, who'd climbed into the back so quietly that he hadn't even heard her get in. Her midnight hair was tied back in a tight ponytail, dark eyes regarding him with a particular indifference, inasmuch to say, 'I don't like you, but I'm going to have to deal with you'.

"Who--" He started to ask, but she motioned for his silence.

"Mr. Blackford, it's nice to meet you." She said flatly, in a tone that indicated anything but. "I see that you were protected from sedation, that was fortunate for you. Hold on, and we'll have you free in just a moment."

"My eyes--" He began once more, and once more she silenced him with another wave of her hand.

"The effects are temporary. Your sight will be perfectly restored as it was before." She assured him, as another individual climbed into the back to make certain that the EMT's would be staying put exactly where they'd fallen.

Then he turned back to Yukiko, and dropped a set of keys into her outstretched palm that he'd taken off one of the technicians. She bent over gracefully and swiftly searched for the right key to open the shackles that were pinning Anthony Blackford to the gurney.

He was a little unsteady on his feet, as well as being lightheaded and still having some difficulty breathing completely on his own.

"I'm still having issues." He wheezed slightly, as Yukiko disconnected him from the oxygen tank.

"That will not last either," She told him. "But I will bring the apparatus with us, should you continue to require it. I _do_ mean to deliver you to New York alive." She finished coolly, once more sounding more forced than genuinely concerned for his well-being.

"Well, that would mean a lot to me." He said a little sarcastically, but couldn't help startling as a man popped up on either side of the doors to lift him down from the van.

They supported him from there toward another car, and there was no true friendliness in their grip. As they neared the SUV, Yukiko called a curt command in Japanese, and someone from inside passed her a piece of dark material through the open window. While his "helpers" kept a firm hand on him, Yukiko expertly folded it, and then bound it tightly over Anthony's eyes.

As he tensed in a way that seemed ready to resist, her fingers made cool contact with his chin.

"Now you listen to me Mr. Blackford. If you desire to receive oxygen, it would be in your best interest not to fight us. I could have sedated you, but I'm allowing for a small amount of professional courtesy." She said warningly.

He went completely still as they loaded him into the SUV, and only clenched his jaw slightly when both of his hands were drawn up behind his back, so that his wrists could be lashed together.

"If you don't trust me, why'd you go to all this trouble?" He asked breathlessly.

"Trust is _earned _Mr. Blackford." Yukiko replied emotionlessly, and then turned to face a couple of men waiting right outside. "Go now, and finish it." She ordered them.

"Finish it?" Blackford repeated, right before she began fitting the oxygen mask back over his head.

"Yes, finish it." She said. "You don't expect us to leave any witnesses behind, do you?"

Anthony shrugged, completely unconcerned about the particular matter of what they would do with the EMT's. His concern about dealing with the _Akiudo _however was growing by leaps and bounds, with every second that passed. He kept his mouth shut and focused on breathing, while Yukiko exchanged a few more brief words with someone of the other side of the window, entirely in Japanese.

He couldn't help stiffening again when the car started rolling. It was a nerve wracking experience being driven somewhere blind-folded, with no idea where he was actually being taken, or how long he would live when he got there. How many others had he transported in this fashion in his days as a Bounty Hunter, in the same callous position that the Asian woman beside him now held?

But it _wasn't_ the same exactly - they'd broken him out of prison. He was a fugitive now. _What a strange thought_, he said to himself, as he pondered a life on the outside that would have to be a dramatic departure from his old one. That is, if he was going to have a life at all once these people were finished with him. The only bargaining chip he had was his information about the turtles. He was going to need to be sparing with it, and sure not to give up everything he knew all at once. He needed to make certain that he would be able to retain some value to the Akiudo, for as long as possible.

While he was yet deep in thought, the sound of an explosion in the distance made him jump a little in the back of the SUV. He couldn't see the sight of the fireball up on the overlook. "What was--"

"No witnesses." Yukiko repeated, continuing her maddening trait of interrupting him. "I do hope you're ready to be cooperative Mr. Blackford. Things will end much more painfully than that for _you_, if you are incapable of delivering the Phantoms."

_Freedom isn't looking so hot right now_, Anthony thought morosely.

* * *

The ride in darkness all the way back to New York was a nerve-wracking one, but not nearly as bad as when they actually arrived at their destination. Over the course of the four hour ride, the effects of the drug they'd smuggled to him had worn off, and his own airway and heart-rate had returned to normal. Now he was on his feet, but still being blindly herded by a man on either side of him. He couldn't hear Yukiko, but sensed that she was probably in front of him, leading the way into the interior of some building.

Takashi smiled warmly when he saw the woman, followed by their fugitive informant.

"It appears that you _can _still pull of a successful strike Yukiko-san." He said approvingly. "Has he been harmed?"

"No, Takashi-sama." She said smartly, and motioned for one of the men to remove the former Bounty Hunter's blind-fold and binding.

Anthony was pushed down without much gentleness into a chair, but tried to keep his own face cool and emotionless as Takashi approached him.

"So." The Asian man addressed him directly for the first time. "You were a Bounty Hunter?"

"A good one." Blackford said proudly.

"Apparently you were not good enough." Takashi stated. "Otherwise, breaking you out of prison would not have been required. Your clear familiarity with our targets is what got you this far. But I'm going to need much more from you, if you desire to see the light of another day."

"What do I have to do, to show you that you can trust me?" Blackford asked.

"You claim to have hunted the creatures before. Have you an proof of said actions?"

Anthony hesitated, and then nodded. "Whenever I performed surveillance for a mark, I kept copies for my own protection. I've got weeks worth of footage stored in a secure location. I think that should be all the convincing that you'll need."


	44. Almost

***You could be very disappointed by the end of this chapter...guess you'll have to wait and see.**

* * *

(Six Days Later)

Calley tousled blond hair expertly in the bathroom mirror, studying her reflection with a little more ease than she had in recent conscious remembrance. She leaned against the sink experimentally, and brought all of her weight up onto her toes, just to see how long she could stand it. Calley briefly tested letting go of the sink, gasping slightly when she faltered from the position.

_Nope, not there yet_, she thought ruefully, as she laid both feet flat on the tile again. Then she wandered back out into the hallway, in time to hear Jenna calling her name for the second time.

"I've got your Dad on the phone!" The woman raised her voice a little louder, to be certain that Calley could hear her from downstairs.

"I'm coming." She responded, and trotted down the steps to meet Jenna at the bottom.

"Dad? Hey." She greeted him with a warmer tone than he'd heard her use since being reunited with him. "How are you doing?"

"Alright," He answered. "They've given me an actual time-frame, I should be getting out of here in a couple of days. I'm so ready to see you."

"I want to see you too Dad, I'm sorry I haven't been up there. I was ashamed at first, and then..."

"I didn't want you anywhere near this hospital after what that guy tried with me Calley. You're exactly where I wanted you to be - safe." He emphasized strongly. "You are doing okay down there, right? You're not going stir crazy being stuck underground?"

"Crazy? No, that's what I was _before_." She clarified.

"Well, listen...there's something, _someone_ I've wanted to talk to you about a few times. I could never tell if it was the right time."

"Go ahead Dad, you have a captive audience."

"I guess you know Jenna a little bit by now, right? And you've been introduced to her Mom."

"Yeah, I've seen Victoria a couple of times, she was by yesterday actually. Jenna told me she was adopted - I think that's pretty cool."

"About Victoria," Tim said slowly. "I'm uh...We recently started seeing each other."

"Oh?" Calley said a little coyly. "You and Jenna's Mom, huh? She seems really nice."

"She is, she's wonderful Calley. I know this could get a little weird, so I'm just trying to prepare you. I don't know if that's even the right way to say it."

"Dad, relax. Mom's been gone, what, almost eight years? You deserve to be happy! You haven't felt anything for someone since her, have you?"

"How could you know that?" He asked.

"You just seem really nervous."

He was quiet for a few seconds on his end. "You're sounding more and more..."

"More what Dad?"

"Like yourself. You always could read people like a book. How's everything going with the guys?"

"They're good, everyone has been great to me." She answered quickly, but then hesitated as she considered saying what was actually on her mind. "Leonardo, he..."

When she didn't continue, Tim spoke up again. "What about him Calley?"

"Nothing." She said more quietly. "I just feel like I've known him - _them _forever." She swiftly added.

* * *

When Michelangelo walked into the Lab to check on Donatello, he was surprised to find his purple-banded brother nearly half-asleep at his desk, with his forehead resting in one palm. His brother was supposed to meet him for some training about half an hour ago, and it wasn't like Donatello to be late.

"Donny, you okay?" The orange masked turtle asked at once.

His brother sat up straight with a small start. "Um, yeah. What time is it?" He murmured.

"Almost 1:30 bro."

"Ah shell, I'm sorry Mikey." He told him, and immediately started to rise from the desk.

"Don't be in a rush here, the mat's not going anywhere." Michelangelo urged him. "You look really tired Don. What's up with you?"

His purple-masked brother shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I'm just a little drained. I'm sorry I lost track of time."

"Forget it, I don't think you ought be working out under the circumstances. You really do take on too much sometimes Donny." His younger brother lightly chided him, as Donatello leaned back further in his chair.

"I know. I'll get some extra sleep, and I'm sure I'll be good to go."

"What about Leo's thing?" Mike asked. "If you don't feel up to it--"

"No way, we've already put it off twice Mike. I'm telling you, I'm fine, and now his _own_ bruise has gone down too. Tonight is definitely the night." He said with a little more life in his chocolate brown eyes.

"I'm just sayin' Donny, it wouldn't be the end of the world."

"I'm good Mike, and the timing couldn't be better. He's not expecting it in the least, and he's always the hardest one to catch off guard."

Michelangelo eased into a smile of his own. "We have to make up for last year. No way is he gonna ruin it again."

* * *

The Den was quieter than normal that evening, when Leonardo got back from his run. He'd been cooped up for the last couple of days, and had felt a real urge to stretch his legs again. He hadn't even needed to bother with going above ground; he was just satisfied to burn off some energy. The turtle had decided to give Calley some privacy to work out with Karina, as the two women had gotten into the rhythm of doing in the evenings when Karina returned from training her dancers from the Company. Karina didn't seem to mind cooling down with her even after a grueling evening - it actually seemed to help her to have someone _else_ to focus on.

They were just finished themselves, heading back into the living area when Leonardo arrived home.

"Hey girls." He greeted them. "Where is everybody?"

Karina shrugged harmlessly. "Jenna's not home yet, and the others are just around. I don't think there was anything good on TV."

"Are you guys thirsty, can I grab you something while I'm going?" He asked over his shoulder, as he headed toward the kitchen.

"That'd be nice Leo." Karina replied, even as she unobtrusively pulled Calley back from following him. "We'll be right here."

As soon as he'd turned back to the darkened kitchen, Calley gave the woman a funny look.

"What'd you stop me for?" Calley asked.

"Wait for it."

"For what?"

Karina didn't have a chance to explain before Leonardo's stifled gasp rose from behind the kitchen door, followed by the immediate laughter of his brothers.

"You may want to give them a minute or two before you poke around." Karina advised her with a grin.

"What on earth is going on?"

"Long-standing tradition." Karina answered. "They have a certain way of surprising one another, on or around their birthdays."

"It's his birthday? Why didn't anyone say something?"

"No, it's not for another ten days Calley. They have to keep things unpredictable to achieve the shock factor. Leonardo caught onto them last year, and it really took some of the wind out of their sails."

What was distinctly Michelangelo's high-pitched yelp suddenly rose _above _the other voices, and Calley's curiosity wasn't going to hold off any longer.

"Do you think I can check this out now?"

"Tread at your own risk." Karina waved her on.

The young woman pushed open the kitchen door, mouth dropping slightly when she got a load of everything inside. What _looked_ like Leonardo was absolutely covered in colored frosting and whipped cream, and he was currently trying to exact some type of vengeance on the one younger brother that he could reach. While he was busy shoving smashed remains of a sheet cake into Donatello's face, Raphael had Michelangelo pinned on the kitchen floor.

The red-banded turtle was straddling his younger brother so that he was nearly sitting on top of him, dashing a pitcher of something over him that had all the consistency of a milkshake. Michelangelo was gasping for breath in between laughing, with an added protest when he could get it off.

"It's Leo's turn! Shell, it's _cold _Raphy!"

"I know it's cold pip-squeak! You didn't really think I went to that trouble to get _Leo_, did ya? I'm still not finished with you from your last stunt. You'll be done payin' when I say you're done!" Raphael told him with a smirk.

Calley couldn't keep from laughing anymore. It started out quietly, until it became loud enough to get Leonardo's attention. The blue-banded turtle grinned at her, and smeared one last palm-full of whipped cream on Donny's head before he let him go.

"Welcome to the Hamato clan. Aren't we a refined bunch?" He suggested.

She only giggled at him harder as she reached for a towel on the counter, and Donatello grabbed for a perfectly intact missile on the table and headed for Raphael.

"Thanks." Leonardo stated a little dryly, as he fiercely rubbed his eyes with the towel she gave him.

He visibly winced when he pulled the material away from his face, stopping her laughter in its' tracks.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Shh." He said under his breath. "Look, do me a favor, okay? Just bring an icepack upstairs in like half an hour. Be real low key about it, alright?"

He need not have worried about being heard, as the red-banded turtle scrambled upright from his position on Michelangelo, and fought to clear his _own_ sight from Donatello's attack.

"You'd better have already said your prayers genius!"

* * *

Calley kept her mouth shut like he'd asked, while Leonardo went to get showered and the other three brothers started to clean up. She kept an eye on the clock in the living area, and went to retrieve the ice at the appropriate time from the freezer. The others were still busy enough that they didn't seem to notice what she was grabbing, or the fact that she snatched a dish-towel before leaving too.

She went upstairs to the hallway, and stopped for a second when she saw light coming from underneath Leonardo's door. At her knock, his voice immediately carried from inside.

"Come in."

The blue-banded turtle was sitting on the very edge of his bed, and glanced up with a half smile when she approached.

"So, are you alright?" She asked.

"It's fine, I'm just sore." He replied. "My jaw is still a little out of whack, but they didn't know that."

"Why didn't you tell them?" She asked, as she took a tenative perch beside him.

"Oh...you know guys. We have to be tough and all." He said sardonically, but instantly straightened up somewhat when her fingers intentionally brushed his shoulder.

"Let me see it." She requested, bended a bit closer. "You're already swelling up again. You should have said something." She said a little reproachfully. "They wouldn't have wanted to hurt you."

"I know." He said sheepishly, and then swallowed hard to steady the muscles that were tingling at the sensation of how closely she was now sitting by him.

Calley raised the icepack, gingerly pressing it against his jaw herself, and lightly held it there. "Is that too hard?" She asked.

"No." He breathed, forgetting for that moment that it had ever hurt at all.

She seemed frozen in that spot, not moving so much as an inch for several seconds, while his dark eyes bore straight back into hers. Then she unconsciously leaned her forehead closer to his until they were nearly touching, and he reached out to take the icepack from her, casting it completely aside. One hesitant finger softly traced her ivory cheekbone, and the turtle's heart beat suddenly much faster as she came within inches of his lips.

He'd carefully turned as if to reciprocate, and that was when Calley instantly bolted off the bed shakily.

"I'm sorry." She wavered softly. "I can't. It...it's not _you_."

Calley backed away so fast that she ran into the bedroom door, and then had to wrestle to get it open, and get out of the room before bursting into tears.


	45. Off

Raphael walked into the practice room the next morning, specifically looking for Leonardo. The blue-banded turtle was already in the full swing of things on his own, despite the fact that he and Raphael were supposed to be working out _together_. The red-masked turtle stood back for a minute, trying to gauge his older brother's mood. He looked way more tense than he'd seen him in a long time. There was some kind of intense emotion simmering under his posture, that Raphael was having a hard time identifying.

"Hey Fearless." He said guardedly as he walked further into the room, and then noticed how swollen his brother looked again. "Aw _shell_ Leo, did we do that?"

"It's fine." Leonardo answered shortly, without even pausing in the series of kicks he'd been running through.

"I'm really sorry." Raphael said at once. "We didn't mean to hurt anything, we were just--"

"I _know_, okay? We don't even need to talk about it. I'm trying to focus here." Leonardo cut him off.

His brother stood by wordlessly a few seconds longer, rather than getting honestly irritated. Leonardo had been different over the course of the last few weeks, despite his insistence that nothing was going on. Raphael was starting to recognize what looked more like frustrated energy on his brother's part than anything else.

"Leo, can we talk?"

"I just told you that I'm trying to focus. Can you make it quick Raph?"

"I don't think so, not unless you can come right out and tell me what the heck's eating you. If you're mad at us, I can handle it. I just don't want you ignoring me."

"This isn't _about_ you." Leonardo told him. "Satisfied? Now can you leave me alone?"

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and guess that this has something to do with a certain girl named Calley." Raphael ventured.

"I asked you to drop that." Leonardo said sharply without looking him in the eye. "Please get lost, and don't bring it up again."

* * *

It was nearly 11am, and Donatello still had yet to stir from his bedroom. Jenna had been in an early morning meeting with a Producer, but expected that he would be awake by the time she got home at the very least. When she didn't find him in the normal places, she poked her head into their shared room, and found the purple-banded turtle still fast asleep. It wasn't unusual for him to sleep late when they pulled all-nighters, but he'd been asleep well before midnight, so something didn't feel completely right to her.

The woman bent over his still frame, resting a hand against his cheek in a confiding way. He stirred immediately with a small grunt, but she was more distracted in that moment by something else. His skin was entirely too hot to the touch.

"Donny?" She said quietly, shaking his shoulder to get him awake faster. "Donny, wake up."

"Hm?" He mumured sleepily, and then fully opened his eyes to see the woman. "Oh. Hi Jen. How long have you been there?"

"You're hot." She told him, without bothering to answer the question. "Can you sit up for me?"

He rubbed one eye wearily, and worked his way up onto his arms. "I'm hot?"

"Like you have a fever. How do you feel?"

"Not so good." He admitted.

"Don't move another inch." She admonished him. "I'm calling Doc."

* * *

The purple-banded turtle was still a little bleary-eyed when his friend got there, and took his time to look him over.

"You didn't feel anything significant yesterday?" Luke asked him.

"Just more tired than normal." Donny replied. "The fever's not _that_ high Doc, I hope you don't think this is getting you out of that Benefit tonight." He finished with a small crack of a smile.

"I know it's low grade, but any fever with you guys has the potential to get complicated. I'll just put you on a couple of units of hydralin for now, and keep an eye on it. Your lungs are clear, your throat looks good...it's probably some bug. I want you to stay in bed - no work, understand me? That includes your laptop."

"Yeah, yeah." The turtle muttered in return. "Just go ahead and stick me, okay? I can hardly keep my eyes open."

* * *

Brandon had been pacing the length of the hallway in Marc's apartment or over an hour that afternoon. His first reaction to his "visitor" from last week had been indignant outrage - but he couldn't escape the truth that the guy hadn't actually harmed him, and only seemed to be concerned with defending his sisters.

His sisters. He couldn't get Katherine and Karina out of his head, now with a growing sense of regret since the rude awakening of a few nights ago. Since that time, he'd finished the process of nailing down the remaining details for his contract in New York, and resumed the search for an apartment of his own. He only needed to take the last step of sucking up his own pride, and getting in touch with them.

Brandon had decided that Kat would be the easier of the two to talk to, so he made the call to her first.

"Is this my favorite brother?" Katherine asked hopefully when she picked up her line.

"Yeah. Listen Kat...I think it's time we talked. There's a lot of things to figure out, and stuff that I don't understand. But I _do _think I know you, well enough to see that you wouldn't be mixed up in anything that wasn't on the level. What are you doing tonight?" He asked practically in one breath.

She groaned on the other end. "Luke and I have to make an appearance with Greg at some ridiculous Benefit. I made a promise to someone months ago, and it's coming back to bite me. But we have no intention of staying for the whole thing. I'd be happy to meet you after, if that's okay."

"Well...what about Karina?" He asked softly.

"She'd come Bran, I know she wants to see you. You should call her." Katherine said quickly.

"I suppose I'll go try that now, see if she'll even talk to me."

* * *

Karina was a little beside herself to get that phone call, and after some encouragement on her part, got him to agree to meeting her at the Brownstone in Chelsea later that evening. Raphael was waiting by as patiently as he could until she hung up the phone, and then looked at her expectantly when she beamed.

"He'll meet me Raph...and I think that it's time that he met _you_ for real. I'm not going to hide you from him. I want him to know about you, right up front." She told him.

The turtle concealed a nervous swallow the best that he could, and nodded. "How are we gonna do this?"

"He's supposed to meet me in Chelsea, and Kari will catch up with us when they can break away from the Benefit." She replied. "Shoot, now that it comes to it, I'm nervous as I'll get out. I wish I didn't have to meet him there alone."

"You don't need to actually." Jenna said from the doorway. "Sorry, I couldn't help listening. If you just need a little moral support, I'm there." She volunteered.

"Would you?" Karina asked. She felt rather foolish for jumping at it so easily, but she didn't relish the idea of explaining the turtles to Brandon by herself. She felt like an emotional wreck - and having the rational side of Jenna alongside her would likely help a great deal.

"But how are we gonna do this?" Raphael repeated.

"I don't want to just spring you on him. I'd rather prepare him first, and have you close by." She answered.

"Whatever you want." He said a little helplessly. The nerves attacking his senses at the moment were in absolute overdrive.

"Why does Raph get to have all the fun?" Mike chortled from the direction of the stairs.

The red-banded turtle had no idea his youngest brother had been listening, or that he'd already picked up his underlying anxiety.

"I wanna go too." Mike said a little insistently. "Brandon needs to meet the handsomest brother."

"Then you_ definitely _have to stay home Mikey." Raphael couldn't help shooting back.

* * *

Leonardo and Calley had been carefully avoiding each other's gaze for most of the day. The blue-banded turtle busied himself trying to look after Donatello, just so he wouldn't have to deal with anyone else. The purple-banded turtle's fever responded well to his specially designed formula, and he was really only trying to sleep off the rest of it.

Leonardo had listened to the plans for that evening stoically, without adding any input of his own. He simply wished Karina luck, and then gave his other two brothers a meaningful look. "Do us proud up there, okay? I want to meet him too, but I think it's better not to leave Donny alone."

Leonardo could see the hurt in his brother's amber eyes, but willed himself to turn away from it. Unfortunately, the opposite way he turned put him directly in line with where Calley was awkwardly waiting nearby.

"Would there be any objections to me going?" She ventured. "It'd be nice to feel a real breeze again."

In all honesty, she didn't want to be left alone to face Leonardo in that Den.

* * *

It was after 9pm by the time the others were leaving, and Leonardo occupied himself at that exact moment by going in to collect Donatello's soup bowl. The purple-banded turtle was still sitting up when Leonardo came back into the room, and gave his older brother a knowing glance, with brown eyes that were somewhat brighter than before.

"How are you feeling?" Leonardo asked before he could say anything.

"Okay." He replied. "Still kinda worn out, but the fever's been gone for hours, and my head doesn't hurt so much. What about you Leo?"

"I'm fine. I've been icing, and the swelling is going down again."

"That's not what I'm talking about Fearless." Donatello said in his own quiet way, that made Leonardo hesitate in his step. "I know something's going on with you, we all do. I'd sure be nice if you'd talk to someone."

"It won't do any good." Leonardo answered. "And I really hope none of you have been bugging Calley with this."

"We're not stupid Leo." Donatello remarked. "Did something happen, or didn't it?"

"It almost did," He admitted, only because he couldn't bear it silently for another hour. "But I was right. The timing is off and...this isn't what she wants. I can't blame her for that."


	46. Rendezvous

*** Warning: The following chapters are not for the faint of heart. If you require medication, you should take it beforehand. Don't say I didn't warn you. Here we go.**

**

* * *

**

Luke and Katherine had been long gone by the time that the girls and the two turtles arrived at the Brownstone, having left for the Benefit with Greg a couple of hours beforehand. Karina let everyone in the back-door, and immediately sent Raphael and Michelangelo upstairs to wait until she called for them. They'd arrived about forty-five minutes earlier than Brandon had said he would be there, as Karina wanted to make certain everything was in hand before he came. Her brother was much more likely to be early than late.

The red-banded turtle hesitated at the bottom of the staircase, as her fingers lightly fondled the tails of his mask. "You've been so great through all this Raph. I just want you to know how much I appreciate it. It's going to be alright, I can feel it."

"Yeah, it is, I know it is." He said more certainly than he felt, and drew her closer to his chest with one arm. "Try not to keep us waiting too long, huh? Y'know I can't stand suspense."

The woman nuzzled her cheek lightly against his, and then kissed him. "I'll do my best."

* * *

The house next door to the right of the Brownstone that was positioned on the corner was dark, and had been vacant for some time. At least it was supposed to be. Without the use of lights, the casual passer-by would likely never have noticed the shadowy figures that had been holed up there over the course of the last couple of days, keeping a constant watch over the house next door, waiting.

Yukiko was impatient and still irritated at having to cater to the former Bounty Hunter, in exchange for his information on this location. She still had her doubts of whether or not he could deliver on his word. Or she did anyway, until a van had arrived that evening outside the gate of the Brownstone, and then pulled directly into the garage.

The sight had excited Blackford to no end, so that he could barely contain himself to standing in one spot. "That's their vehicle! You see, I _told _you it was worthwhile to watch this place!" He exclaimed to Yukiko and Shirou as they stood by, silently observing the figures from above, as they headed to the house from the garage.

Yukiko was still bothered by the fact that the turtles weren't alone, and made the phone call to Takashi to get his orders on the situation.

"If you're that close to having them in your grasp, don't hesitate." He told her. "You could likely even use the others as leverage if need be, in order to contain them. Don't pass this opportunity up, particularly if all four are not together. They will not be expecting you, or prepared for an attack. Move in quickly, but do not attract outside attention. This is what we've been waiting for Yukiko-san - now don't fail me again."

* * *

Karina was having some trouble standing still herself. They still had a good half hour before Brandon was supposed to be there, when there was a knock on the back door.

"Darn it, I knew he'd be early." The woman muttered, and cast a somewhat forlorn glance at the other two women. "Tell me this is the right thing again."

"It's the right thing Karina. Go answer the door, and I'll make sure the guys are prepared upstairs." Jenna replied.

Calley pulled out one of the dining room chairs to wait, while Karina went back toward the kitchen, and Jenna trotted up the stairs. When Karina opened the back door, she was a little surprised to find a couple of lights that were out, and not a soul in sight.

_It didn't take me _that _long to answer the door. C'mon Brandon, where'd you go?_

Karina looked around slowly, and then descended the porch steps to the walkway.

"Brandon?" She called out questioningly._ I hope he didn't run off just because of that light being out._

Presently she heard a sound from around the side of the house, and darted that direction, expecting to find her brother. What she got was something else entirely.

* * *

Calley waited for Karina to return, a little mystified when the woman went completely outside. When a couple of minutes had passed without a sound, the young woman got to her feet and wandered in the direction of the kitchen herself. Walking into the room was like waking up inside of one of her nightmares.

Four masked figures had made their way inside the house, and a stunned Calley could only stare at the one who had Karina by the throat. Upon her own entry, the smallest of the frames immediately pressed the blade of a knife to the side of Karina's neck as well.

"_One _sound, and she dies." Yukiko warned her fiercely, not recognizing the young woman at first.

Only after a few tense seconds has passed, did Yukiko realize _who_ she was actually addressing. Rapid Japanese ensured to someone behind her, and another figure shoved his way past the other two. A grim smile graced the young man's features when he yanked off his own mask.

"Haruko. You make this night a complete one for me!"

She unconsciously backpedaled before she could stop herself, forcing Yukiko to indent the blade deeper against Karina's throat.

"Now do you really want this pretty woman to die, all because of you?" Yukiko asked her, while Shirou got a firm grip around Calley's waist.

"It's over." Calley said softly, to keep the woman from acting hastily. "You found me, you have me. Just let her go, you don't have to kill anyone else." She finished shakily.

Now that Shirou had her under control, Yukiko withdrew the knife, and walked over to the young woman. "Believe it or not sureibu, you're not the one we're here for. That does not mean we're not pleased to find you, however unexpected your presence was."

"Then why--"

Before Calley could get off another word, Yukiko drew a needle with a flick of her wrist, and injected the sedative into her arm.

"That's enough talking for now. We'll have _plenty _of time to catch up later." Yukiko couldn't resist smiling somewhat at Shirou's own expression. "You are a blessed man indeed." She informed him. "Get these two out of here, so we'll have no distractions from the others."

As two warriors carried them outside, Jenna's voice carried curiously down the stairs.

"Kari? Are you guys down there?"

Yukiko motioned for silence, and nodded at one man to proceed as they heard her footsteps alighting down the stairs.

"Karina? Calley?" Jenna called again when she reached the bottom, bewildered at not receiving a response.

As she crossed back through the now darkened dining room she felt little more than the smallest of winds on her back, right before the man who'd been hiding behind the french door pounced. His only real thought was to keep her quiet - he had no clue of the fight he was going to have on his hands. Jenna took complete advantage of the fact that he could only control her with one arm, while the other hand was plastered over her mouth.

Her left elbow became a powerful battering ram into his rib-cage, thrusting so hard and unexpectedly that she succeeded in winding him. She didn't stop while he flustered for breath, ramming the same elbow indiscriminately into his face, right before throwing all of her weight into reverse against him. Jenna managed to get him off balance enough that he stumbled backwards, dragging her with him as he crashed into the french door with a terrific bang.

Two more figures appeared at that, to help wrangle the young woman who was still fighting tooth and nail while they approached from either side. For one brief moment in the struggle her chin was free, time enough for one syllable to escape.

"RAPH!"

Her scream echoed across the house, and sent the men into overdrive. As one of them held her arm down firmly against the wood floor, a second injected her, while the third was still covering her mouth until he was certain she was nearly unconscious. As he hefted the young woman back over his shoulder, she only had the energy for two more words.

"You _cowards_."

Yukiko could have run through the morons herself at that point. So much for the element of surprise. "Get her outside quickly, and send the rest of the team in!" She hissed to the one carrying her. "We'll need everyone to take them successfully. Send Blackford in here too, I want him front and center for this. I don't trust him."

* * *

The sound of the struggle _had_ reached the turtles' ears upstairs, and the panic in Jenna's voice had never sounded so real. Weapons in hand they carefully descended to the darkness of the first floor, not making so much as a sound as they did. They'd barely touched foot down in the foyer, when shadows revealed themselves in the adjoining living room on one side _and _the dining room on the other.

They both stiffened somewhat, and had no option but to stay close together as men closed in from both directions at once. Raphael's first task was to clear a path so that he would have_ room _to fight. Rage at the intrusion and anxiety for the women had instantly morphed him into an unassailable animal that would not be contained.

The red-masked turtle knocked three of them flat before they even had a chance to blink, and forced his way into the living room, where more of them were waiting. Someone hit the lights back on at that point so that they dazzled his eyes slightly, but not enough to actually stop his advance.

Michelangelo worked his own way into the dining room, dealing out savage blows with his chucks that were only strengthened by his desperation to find some sign of the girls. There was no hint of laughter in his blue eyes as he whipped a nunchuck solidly into a charging man's stomach, and sent him flying only for two more to spring up in his place.

Anthony Blackford was very uncomfortable with how close Raphael was getting to him in the living room, and really wished that he could just disappear into the woodwork. He had no desire that the angry creature in front of him would have an opportunity to recognize him, and only become _more_ livid. The man had no way of knowing that Raphael honestly had no memory of him, aside from what the others had told him.

The moment of truth came when the turtle finally laid burning amber eyes on him, and Blackford expected the absolute worst. Instead the turtle curiously froze in his stance, as he was assaulted by a sudden vision he couldn't control, brought on by the man in his line of sight. A scene flashed rapidly through his mind, of the man ruthlessly restraining his neck while someone else was fitting a muzzle over his head.

Yukiko leaped on the opportunity the distraction afforded her to plunge the blade of her naginata through the turtle's plastron, directly into his mid-section. The shocking pain brought Raphael back to himself as two men darted past the woman, and pinned the already injured turtle down to the floor.

"Get his watch!" He heard someone cry, amidst all the other sounds that were curiously running together. "They've probably already called for help!" Blackford warned Yukiko.

One of the men unstrapped the time-piece from his wrist, and swiftly crushed it underfoot.

"Thanks for the tip Blackford. Nice to see you can still be useful for _something_." Yukiko replied, punctuating the end of her phrase by yanking her weapon out of the turtle's plaston.

A painful gasp escaped him as she withdrew it, but he_ really _wasn't ready for her to lower it a second time, and drive it further into his chest.


	47. Timely

*** Are you still breathing? Still with me? We're far from finished, hang on with me.****

* * *

**

The pain alone was enough to take Raphael's breath away, with an uncontrollable shudder. The dark eyes staring back at him overhead were aloof, as she withdrew the naginata with another painful twist. When he tried to take a deep breath it was extremely difficult, producing the same effect as trying to blow up a balloon that had a hole in it.

Across the room he heard the sound of a further scuffle, followed by the pained cry of his youngest brother.

"_Raph_!"

There was a loud thud as someone else fell in front of the orange-masked turtle, and the remaining men moved smoothly to try and cut him off. Another two were cast aside, one into the wall and the next over the couch, before the others could even lay a hand on the determined turtle. He wasn't done fighting even then, lashing out a tremendous blow with his foot that sent yet another head over heels, into the brick of the fireplace.

It took their combined effort on each of his limbs to finally stop the onslaught. Shirou's fist landed an upper-cut to the restrained turtle's eye, cutting off the remainder of the fight that Michelangelo had left in him. The young warrior's katana was in his hand a second later, and would have flashed toward the prone turtle if Yukiko hadn't stopped him.

"Baka!" She snapped angrily. "You _know _Takashi demanded one of them alive! This one comes with us, and the other..."

_Yes, the other_, Raphael thought, as grim hopelessness took root._ She's got no intention of walking out of here with me still alive._

He intentionally emphasized the difficulty of the breaths he was drawing, and let amber eyes roll back in his head completely. Raphael had no idea how much blood he was losing, and honestly, he didn't _want_ to know. The panic buttons can't have been active for very long before the warriors had destroyed the watches, but his brothers would still come, he knew they would. Whether or not he would still be living when they got here was the real question.

As he sensed Yukiko kneeling over him, he cut off his breathing intentionally, not allowing the slightest rise in his chest. He felt her hand prodding him, and it was all he could do to remain completely still and not allow any air to enter or exit his lungs. That became even more difficult when he felt her blade trace across his throat, as she obviously considered the action of slicing him clean through.

It was in that fortuitous instant that someone chose to knock on the front door. Yukiko bolted upright from the floor, while one of the other men turned off the light in the living room, as if it would help matters.

"Quiet." She ordered everyone under her breath as a couple others stirred, and then cast a glance back down at Raphael, who clearly wasn't breathing. The insistent knock repeated, and made her look back toward the kitchen. "We've lingered too long, and we have enough causalities on our hands. We have to disappear."

Not reacting as they silently fled through the back door on foot with Michelangelo was one of the hardest things the red-banded turtle had ever done. His mind was buzzing, not with the prospect of dying, but at the fact that they had to have done something with all the girls too. Out of sheer determination he rose a couple of inches on his elbows, but the mind-numbing pain in his chest and mid-section prevented him from going any further.

He'd had many opportunities to imagine what it would be like to die. Somehow, he'd never believed it would end alone like this. Raphael was surprised by how many things ran through his mind in a matter of seconds. He'd expected fear, pain, rage...but what he really felt at that moment was numb and extremely cold, the coldest he could remember feeling before. And alone.

* * *

Luke had been patiently listening to the end of a ten minute speech when his watch had vibrated minutes ago, signifying someone sending out a distress signal. His mind instantly leaped to Donatello, as he glanced down to fiddle with the screen. But he was truly surprised to see that both Raphael and Michelangelo had activated_ their _beacons.

Katherine noticed what he was doing, and shot him a questioning glance. Luke shrugged at her, before quietly escaping their table near the back of the room with his cell phone to try and reach them. Out in the foyer he dialed both turtles in turn, a little dismayed not to get an answer from either of them. His mind mentally tried to fathom everything that could have gone wrong with Brandon, and in the midst of that minute of panic, one beacon ceased, and the other followed not long after.

Further puzzled, he tried calling each of them again, only to still get no answer. _No way I'm going to go sit back in there, _he thought ruefully. _It's time to go - Benefit be darned._

Luke poked his head back into the room, and noticed both Katherine and Greg peering his direction. He motioned for them to join him, and ducked back outside to call Leonardo and Donatello.

* * *

Brandon was truly confused by this point, but had already decided to try the back door. The darkness that met him at the back almost made him walk away, that and the fact that Karina wasn't answering her phone. But as he studied the porch for a long moment, something simply didn't feel right to the man. When he approached the door he realized that it was wide open, only the screened portion separating him from the kitchen. Brandon opened it slowly, and took a hesitant step into the kitchen.

"Kari?" He called once inside. "Karina, where..." He didn't continue when he got a good view of how torn up the kitchen was, and now panic entered his voice. "KARINA!"

His phone was in his hand again, though whether to call the police or Katherine first he hadn't decided. He called his sister's name a fourth time, and a strangled sound actually answered him from the direction of the living room. Brandon dashed that way so quickly that he tripped over a downed kitchen chair, and nearly went sprawling himself. Every sense was on heightened alert as he entered the darkened living room, and searched for any sign of life.

In the shadows he could make out someone on the floor, who was now gasping softly with every breath that he tried to take. The man's hand raked across the light switch on the wall, casting proper illumination for him to _see_ Raphael as he crossed around the couch. With shock he backed directly into the fireplace mantle, eyes widening to saucer size as he didn't _believe_ what he was seeing. The only thing almost as surprising as the creature itself, were the badly bleeding injuries that had floored him.

_Whatever_ it was, the obvious fact that it was in no condition to harm him emboldened Brandon after a few seconds, and he took a step closer to it. He still nearly jumped when amber eyes locked on him for the first time, with all the keen discerning of real intelligence.

"Do you speak?" Brandon asked him. "Can you understand me?"

With some difficultly the creature nodded, and seemed to be trying very hard to form real words. Brandon bent down slightly to his level.

"There was a woman here." He said evenly. "Long dark hair about my color, green eyes? Where is she?"

The red-masked turtle winced and swallowed hard, summoning the energy to respond. "I don't...I didn't see..." He wavered, as frustration and anxiety exploded inside the man.

Brandon firmly gripped the turtle's shoulders, nearly shaking him. "_Where's my sister_?"

Something of a defiant light clung to the creature's eyes, as he responded through gritted teeth. "_I _am not your enemy Brandon!"

The man fell back a pace at once, in stunned recognition of that voice. The same voice that had admonished him in the dark days ago.

"Oh my God." He said aloud. "Oh...oh my God!"

Brandon jerked back to his feet and ran back to the kitchen, where he yanked the doors open to the small Utility room. From there he grabbed for a stack of towels, and raced back to the turtle's side, moving quickly to apply pressure to both of the deep wounds in his plastron. He responded with a groan of intense pain, but Brandon knew better than to ease up in the least.

"Where happened here? Where is she?" He had to ask him.

"They took her." He gasped. "If she ain't here, they got her...and everyone else."

"Who is_ they_?"

The turtle's hand came up to grip Brandon's jacket with a sense of impending desperation. "Akiudo. Blackford."

'What does that mean?"

Raphael swallowed hard once more, but wasn't finding much strength to continue. "Tell...my brothers." He said as firmly as he could. "They'll find them. And tell...tell Kari I'm sorry." He finished in a strained whisper, before passing out on the living room floor.

Brandon had never been more confused or more frightened in his entire life. He had no idea what to do right now, and he'd left his phone on the counter in the kitchen during his last jog in there. Now he was afraid to even take his hand away from the injuries that were bleeding so heavily. For roughly eight minutes he remained unmoving that way, until voices from the kitchen made him sit up straighter on the floor.

"Karina? Guys?"

Luke was the first person he heard, followed by the unmistakable swearing of his sister's old partner, once he got a good look at the kitchen.

"In here!" Brandon yelled in return. "Luke, Kat, get in here!"

Both men and Katherine quickly entered the living room, only to be further aghast at the sight of the creature he was still bent over. Luke was the first one able to move, struggling out of his jacket as he dashed the length of the room to get to them.

"_No_! Raph, c'mon! You have to be in there!" He proclaimed frantically, as he searched for his vital signs.

"Luke--" Greg started in a choked voice, but the doctor quickly cut him off.

"He's alive! He's alive, he's got a pulse, he's breathing. Oh, _dang it_! He's lost so much blood already...Katherine, get Donny back on the phone. Hurry up, do it right now!"

As the woman fumbled with her cell, Greg forced himself to take a closer look at his friend, nearly collapsing with something between a sob and a cry of outrage. "Who?" He demanded. "Who did this? Where are the others?"

Brandon shook his head, ever ounce of color long drained from his own features. "He couldn't tell me. Just two words, maybe they'll make sense to you guys. He said...Blackford, that was the easy one."

"_Blackford_?" Luke and Greg couldn't stop from exclaiming together.

"That's what he said. The other one was harder to understand, some 'A' word, sounded like Ack..Aku...I don't know."

"Akuido." Greg said automatically. "Is that what he said? _Akiudo_?"

"I think so. He said if they weren't here, they got them. What does that mean? Who are these people? What in God's name is _he_?!"

"You're going to need a rather abbreviated education Brandon." Luke said morosely.


	48. Trying

Donatello felt the double vibration from his belt, signifying that he'd just missed someone's phone call. The purple-banded turtle cursed himself severely, and then quickly flashed his headlight at Leonardo in front of him, to signal that he needed to pull over. Both turtles turned their bikes into the first alley they saw, which was about a block and a half away, and immediately yanked off helmets.

"What is it Donny? Are you alright?"

Without having any idea of what had really happened or how serious the situation with Raphael was, the blue-banded turtle had tried very hard to get Donatello not to venture out at all, but he wouldn't be dissuaded. With the van already in Chelsea with the others, they had to turn to the motorcycles to get them there now.

"I missed a call from Kat." He replied, as he punched her speed dial. "Hold on a second."

"Donny, where are you guys, right now?" Her tone was hardly holding together, and instantly put Donatello on edge.

"Maybe a little over ten minutes away Kat. What's going on, are you at the house?'

Katherine didn't answer him, but he could hear her in the background repeating their time frame to someone else. The next voice he heard was not hers', but Lukes' as the man took the phone from her.

"Donny, do whatever you have to, just get here as fast as you can! Raph is critically injured, he's lost so much blood I can't even...I don't...Just get here!"

"Doc, what about the others?" Donatello demanded somewhat desperately.

"I don't know, they're not here! I don't want to be this honest over the phone, but Raph might not make it back to the Den at all in this condition! He needs blood now, which means I need _you_ now! Just get here!"

Leonardo couldn't remember ever seeing Donatello's face go ashen that quickly before.

"Okay." The purple-banded turtle's voice barely registered. "Okay, we're coming. We'll be there as fast as we can."

* * *

"Greg, I need your help real quick to get him to the van!" Luke called back to the man who was still bowed at Raphael's side. "I have to start getting him prepped for a transfusion!"

"Do they keep a supply on hand that way?" Greg asked hopefully.

"Only underground. But the guys are coming, and I can use Donny - he and Raph have the same type. Kat, where are you?" Luke called a little harriedly, despite the fact that the woman was right behind him.

"I'm here Luke." She answered.

"After we get Raph to the van, I want you and Greg to take his Jeep, and go on ahead of us. Get yourselves to the van entrance, and then get one of the Sliders brought out so we can get him back to the Den faster. You can drive one of those, can't you Greg?"

The man nodded, as Luke got a hand under Raphael's neck to support his head. Brandon stood to the side, in what was still a case of moderate shock, while Katherine ran ahead to get the door, and then raced to the garage to get the van opened up for them as well. Brandon slowly followed after they'd exited the house, and stood back a few feet while Luke talked Greg through getting Raphael secured inside the vehicle.

"Now go, get moving! Use your light Greg." Luke ordered. "You've got to get down there before we do. Also, get Marcus on the phone, and tell him to get himself to the van entrance too, and wait for us there."

Brandon jerked somewhat at the mention of his "room-mate". "He knows about them too?" He asked Luke, as his sister and Greg dashed out of the gate to where the Jeep had been left.

"Yes." Luke answered simply with his back turned, as he finished securing the gurney to the steel rings.

Brandon bit his tongue from saying anything else, though a few things were going through his mind.

* * *

Luke had the gate open once more for the two turtles when they arrived, so they could pull into the garage by the van. Donatello wrestled his helmet off with a little more difficulty than it should have taken, and didn't even glance Brandon's direction before leaping into the back of the van.

"I'm set for you Donny, get down here on the seat, and let me hook you up!" Luke said swiftly, as Leonardo dashed past Brandon, but stopped short of getting in, though he desperately wanted to.

Luke made quick work of attaching Donatello's end so that he could start the transfusion, and then turned toward Leonardo's imploring gaze.

"You've got sixty seconds Leo." The man said apologetically. "Then you've got to get us the heck out of here."

The blue-banded turtle nodded as he exchanged places with Luke, and moved up to the seat where Donatello was perched beside Raphael. It took every ounce of strength inside of him to keep it together, particularly because he could see the fear in his younger brother's brown eyes. He wanted to ask Donatello for details, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He could see with his _own_ eyes the wounds that had been inflicted.

In the end, Leonardo merely laid one hand on his prone brother's forehead, and bowed his head slightly for a couple of seconds.

"Stay with us Raph." Leo softly said over his red-masked brother, and sensed Donatello turning physically away out of the corner of his eye, so that the older turtle wouldn't see the tears that his simple statement had produced in him.

The blue-banded turtle could find no words quickly enough that he thought would actually encourage him, so he merely squeezed Donatello's free wrist, before forcing himself to get back out of the van. As he did he caught Brandon's eye for the first time, and gave the man a swift once over, as the human did the same with him. Luke climbed back inside, and cleared his throat.

"Leonardo, this is Brandon; Brandon, Leonardo. I need to know right this second whether you're in or out." He directed the last part of the statement toward the human.

"Well, I...I'm not sure what...I mean, h-how can I..." The man faltered.

"Sometime this_ year _Brandon!" Luke exclaimed anxiously. "In or out?"

The man looked back at Leonardo. "Can you really find her? Can you get her back, like you did Luke and Kat?"

Leonardo nodded without a second of hesitation. "We can, and we_ will_." He said with such finality that Brandon had the impression he could take the creature at his word.

"In." Brandon stated evenly to Luke.

"Then get up here, we have to go!" Luke urged him.

* * *

They were a couple of minutes down the road before Brandon could bring himself to speak again. "How does this work now? You operate on your own, no police?"

Luke glanced up from studying the screen of his scanner. "Obviously. But in many ways, we have distinct advantages over the cops going into this."

"How's that work?"

"Police have to follow due process, collect evidence, make a case for warrants." Donatello spoke up with a trace of weariness. "We get to skip all of that junk, and get right down to business."

"These people, you know how to find them?"

"Not yet, but we will." Donatello said. "My brothers and I carry a homing beacon on our person, implanted so that the signal can't get screwed up. By most people anyway." He emphasized. "After the thing with Luke last year, most of our human friends have them too."

"Your brother, he said you'd find _them_. Who else was in that house with Karina?"

Donatello averted his eyes to the floor, and wouldn't look back up immediately.

"There were two other women besides her, as well as their fourth brother." Luke replied tightly so that Donatello wouldn't have to.

Brandon could have smacked himself in that moment. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I didn't realize..."

"Don't apologize." The purple-banded turtle fought to steady his voice. "You've been dropped into the deep end of the ocean here, we don't expect you to know what's actually going on."

* * *

Leonardo wouldn't have been surprised if his grip on the steering wheel had left permanent impressions. His mind was racing, as he was on the verge of breaking down completely. He couldn't prevent his thoughts from traveling to the girls and Mikey, an array of emotions assailing him from outright rage to desperation. But even more pronounced at that instant was his last vision of Raphael, hardly breathing in the back of the van.

He gave in to tears somewhat, knowing he wouldn't be able to later. Now was the time to give partial vent to them while he was alone, and wouldn't be discouraging anyone else. As much as he wanted to focus and begin immediately strategizing the imminent rescue attempt, his emotion over Raphael was a firm roadblock. Tears fell silently and unseen as he forced his eyes straight ahead on the road, and kept driving.

* * *

They were a few minutes down the road when Donatello gave Luke a sharp glance as the man reached for his end of the tubing, as if he were going to end the transfusion. "No Doc, what are you doing? Just leave it." He told him at once.

"Donny, I've been watching the levels closely. At the increased output on your machine, you've already gone through about two pints of your own blood. It isn't safe to continue."

"You can't cut it off!" Donatello said stubbornly. "I can handle it, I'll be alright."

"You won't be alright if you keep going! Never mind how _much_ blood you're giving, we've never even pushed the output level this quickly before! There's no telling what could happen here."

Donatello caught Luke firmly by the arm. "Doc, he's _dying_! He won't make it back if you don't let me do this!"

"If I let you continue, you won't be strong enough to help Marc and I with surgery either!"

"What good will surgery do if _he's_ not strong enough to survive it?" Donatello demanded, and from the look in Luke's blue eyes, could tell the man was faltering. "I know it may not save him." He said honestly. "But if he's gonna..If we're going to lose him, I don't want it to be without me expending every effort that I could have! So leave it!"

Brandon could almost see the battle physically waging inside Luke's body, as the man tried to weigh the probability of the red-masked turtle surviving, against the possibility of causing detrimental harm to the purple-banded one who spoke with him in such knowing medical terminology. Luke resolutely took a step away from him, shoulders shaking as he gave in to Donatello.

Brandon's eyes fastened on the turtle as he shifted on the seat, searching for a better position. The look in his brown eyes was so tortured, so agonizing that the man could barely focus on them for more than a couple of seconds. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt like part of him understood his sisters' affinity with these creatures.

Though he doubted Luke would allow it, he could tell that the purple-masked one would do anything, would stop at nothing to try and save his brother, even if it killed himself. It was the same feeling that he got from Leonardo, when he'd asked him about saving Karina. They would find those that had been stolen from them. They would find them, and they would save them - or they'd die trying.


	49. Chances

***Our orange masked friend's abduction experience is going to be a little different than some I've written in the past, because Takashi has a vested curiosity. More on that later. Oh, and Shirou will get his.**

* * *

Michelangelo had been awake for some time now, though he hadn't dared to move to prevent giving himself away. He'd woken up to darkness, and at first wondered at the source of the eternal night. By the time he'd come around a little better, he was aware of the feeling of what was definitely material draped over his head, effectively blocking out whatever was on the other side.

He was lying on his plastron in what was a disturbingly familiar fashion, only it wasn't cold manacles binding his wrists this time, but some kind of thick cord, wound cruelly tight so that it was digging into his skin. Staying absolutely still was a chore of idiocy for the turtle who was usually so driven by motion. He devoted his mind to the task of deciphering what was going on around him, as a means of interest and for keeping him calmer.

Outside traffic was the easiest thing to distinguish, passing cars that had no purpose except to continue merrily on their way, unaware of the monsters that were blending in with them. When he focused harder, he could pick up the quiet sound of breathing from what had to be other men. None of them were making any other kind of unnecessary noise in the back of the van.

From a couple of feet away, Michelangelo suddenly heard the sound of someone else stirring, what was a distinctly female groan. A couple of seconds later, one of the other men was rising with a gloating chuckle.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you caused for me sureibu?" Shirou challenged the blond woman, as he dragged her upright to a sitting position against the side of the vehicle.

Michelangelo heard her whimper, followed by the sound of a loud blow, and something striking metal. His entire body tensed when she found her real voice.

"Then why not kill me? Why did you take them? Why _him_?" Calley asked specifically of Michelangelo.

"It's not yours to question Haruko, but only to obey." The warrior said dangerously. "Who am I?" He went on pointedly, after striking her cheek a second time.

She clenched her mouth shut and made no immediate response, staring back at him silently in the semi-darkness.

"I want to hear it sureibu - now say it!" He commanded, twisting one her arms violently to force a response out of her.

A cry escaped her, but nothing more.

"Say it!" He demanded a third time, glaring at her savagely to assert his own dominance over her again.

"_No_." She whispered, barely willing herself to speak the word. "I won't."

He drew his katana with a metallic ring. "Do you want my signature on your throat? Who am I Haruko?"

"Haruko is dead." She tried to say without shaking. "And you're not my Master."

"_Wrong_ answer." The man seethed, and Michelangelo knew he couldn't keep silent any longer. It was definitely time to divert.

"Does that make you feel tough, trying to force some girl into worshipping you?" The turtle asked. "I wonder if you have the guts to try it on me."

He could hear Shirou coming, but didn't know how the man would respond exactly. Twice his foot bore heavily into the turtle's side, before he forcefully heaved Michelangelo onto his shell. The turtle held his breath as he felt the tip of a katana rest against his chest.

"Are you sure that's really how you want to address me?" Shirou asked coolly, and the turtle tried hard not to snicker outright.

_I've got a few more things I could have added_, he thought inwardly, but said nothing else to the sword wielding warrior.

"You'll want to think long and hard before you open your mouth to me." Shirou stated. "Do not attempt to interrupt me from dealing with my property again."

"Aw, you can't get a girl to like you just for that charming personality?" He remarked placidly, and the warrior's foot bore down so hard on the side of his hooded face that it left his ears ringing.

"No Shirou! Leave him alone!" Calley actually shouted. "He's not the one you want."

The man cast a hateful glance her direction. "You do not command me sureibu. Don't worry, I'm not finished with you either. I won't wear myself out." He assured, before driving the weight of his calf into the turtle's face a second time.

"Teishu!" She proclaimed out of desperation, knowing it was all the man wanted to hear. "I'm yours', I always will be! Don't worry for that creature. No one can take me away from you again."

The man turned away from Michelangelo, back to force her against the side of the van again. "I warned you Haruko, and you will pay dearly for running. You will suffer far longer than he will."

She swallowed hard, fighting to steady her voice. "Those girls, they'll be missed, people will be looking for them. You made a mistake taking them."

Shirou shrugged. "That's not my concern, nor was it my command. If it were up to me, they'd likely already be dead, along with the monster."

"He's no monster!" She shot back, resisting the urge to rage at the man with difficulty. She now understood that he would readily cause further pain to the turtle, for no other reason than the fact that she didn't want him to.

"We will be home soon Haruko, but you still have some time to imagine what is in store for you." He told her grimly, and cast her roughly back to the floor.

* * *

Luke was visible struggling to keep an eye on both turtles at the same time, trying to make sure that Donatello wasn't taking it too far, even while he was forced to devote almost the entirety of his attention to Raphael. The purple-banded turtle had been quiet since their last exchange, and Luke had a strong feeling that Donatello wouldn't utter a word, even if he _did_ feel something strange.

Brandon was on sensory overload, but recognized that the grief spinning through his mind had to be only a fraction of what the others were combating, with one of their own lying so close to death, that it seemed it could swoop down at any moment. On an impulse he got to his feet a little unsteadily, and walked around to the seat where the other turtle was slightly propped up.

He exhaled deeply and sat down beside him, trying not to stare openly at the physiology that was still a shock to be around. "Hey, can you look at me?" He asked the turtle. "Are you feeling okay?"

The turtle's chocolate brown eyes flicked up to him immediately. "I'm the least of our worries." He mumbled softly, as if he was having some difficulty staying awake.

Brandon shifted him awkwardly, so that the turtle would be leaning against him. "It's gonna be alright." He told Donatello, though he wasn't sure he believed it himself.

Luke made brief eye contact with the man, long enough to convey a message of mute gratitude. They'd been sitting outside the van entrance for about ten minutes now. The Slider was already waiting for them along with the others, but Luke had wanted to try and get Raphael in a remotely stable place before being forced to take him off the transfusion equipment. It would take a few minutes yet to get back to the Den, and they wouldn't be able to resume the support until they got there.

Marcus and April had arrived only seconds earlier (having been unavoidably and irritatingly detained), to find Leonardo waiting anxiously outside with Greg.

"Are we ready to go, or what?" Marcus asked briskly. "What's the hold up?"

"Doc wanted to allow Raph time to get some blood before we had to move him again." Leonardo answered.

"Okay, I'll be just a minute." Marc told everyone, and turned to get into the back of the van. "Luke? Do we honestly have time to play catch up?"

"Had to _make_ time - get in here Marc!" Luke returned, stepping slightly to one side. "Check on Donny's levels for me again will you, it's been a little bit since I did."

Marcus tried very hard not to react outwardly to Raphael's condition as he squeezed his way past to get to Donatello. He cast the man beside him an apologetic glance, and Brandon merely shook his head while the doctor was scanning the turtle's vitals.

"So I got set up here. You were in on the whole thing." Brandon muttered quietly.

"They didn't want to lose you Brandon. I'm sorry we manipulated you." Marcus answered, while he waiting for the machine to return a result.

"Forget it, I shouldn't even be wasting breath on this right now. My little sister is _missing_, that pretty much trumps anything else."

Marcus could have said something else to him, but was now too fixated on the screen of his scanner, deciphering information. He bolted suddenly upright from the bent position, with a strangled gasp he couldn't contain. "His hemoglobin is under 5 Luke, we have to cut him loose _right_ now!"

"Do it Marc, and then we'll have to move whether Raph is ready or not." Luke replied tightly. "How are his other levels?"

Marcus tried unsuccessfully to rouse the turtle before he answered Luke. "Oxygen is depleted, and he's definitely anemic. Heart rate is lower than it should be. How much blood did he _give_ him?"

"A lot more than he should have!" Luke said. "I knew how dangerous it was, I didn't want to do it but---"

"But he talked you into it." Marcus finished for him. "I know how this works Luke, it's just that I'm usually the one who folds. You know this still might not be enough." He wavered slightly.

Luke nodded, but then motioned to the doors. "Will you help me with Raph? I'll send Leo back in to get Donny."

Leonardo, April, and Greg were waiting a couple of yards away, and immediately ran to assist when the doors opened fully.

"Greg, c'mere and help Marc and I with Raph. Leo, I need you to help your other brother." Luke asserted.

"Help him?" Leonardo echoed. "What--"

"I'll explain after they're loaded." Luke interrupted with a grunt, as they handled the red-banded turtle out of the van.

Once they were out of the way Leonardo climbed inside, surprised by the sight of his remaining younger brother. He was even more startled when he was unresponsive to him. As he carefully lifted the turtle off the seat, Brandon leaped up beside him.

"Can I give you a hand with him?"

"Yes, and you can tell me what the _shell _happened too!" The blue-banded turtle responded, as the man moved to help.

"He didn't want to cut off the transfusion when Luke said to." Brandon answered, and Leonardo softly sighed.

"You don't have to say another word. I know exactly what he was thinking." He told the human with a hint of frustration, as they worked together to get him outside.

Leonardo felt numb at the moment, and he was fighting hard to hold on to the sensation. Any other emotion would likely do him in right now. He left a lingering glance on Donatello while Luke secured him in the Slider. _Darn it Donny, I should have guessed you'd throw yourself under the bus. You'd better be okay._

About two seconds was all he could stand of Raphael, before emotion threatened to topple him.

Luke had taken the opportunity to get another look at Donatello's vitals, and found to his further dismay that his heart rate was still dropping.

"Doc, you guys just go!" Leo urged him. "The Slider will be faster if it's not loaded down with all of us! We can start on foot."

"Leo get in here, you can drive us." Luke replied, and the blue-banded turtle didn't need to be told twice.

He hurried to get into place behind the controls, and only waited long enough to be certain the docs had both of them secure before leaving the others behind.

Greg released an incredibly anxious sigh as they disappeared from sight, and motioned for Brandon to follow him and April.

"How wide does this circle travel?" Brandon asked, and received only quizzical glances from them.

"I mean, how many people know about them?"

"Besides us, your sisters, the docs..." Greg started, and then swore as something else occurred to him. "We haven't told everyone. We're going to have to get on the phone with Victoria."

April winced as she fingered her own cell-phone. "I don't suppose it should be put off any longer."

"Wait, who's Victoria?" Brandon piped up.

"She's Jenna's Mom." Greg replied.

"Who's _Jenna_?"

"We'll be moving pretty fast here Brandon, you're gonna have to keep up somehow."


	50. Testing

****

* I am currently in limbo as to whether or not I am going to continue writing after I have finished Fearless. I bring it up here because I already have a basic outline for something featuring Mikey, and if I decide to push forward with it, I want to take on a beta reader. Don't know how that works yet, or even how to get one. I found the area where you can apply to be one, but not the explanation for acquiring one. If anyone is interested, please let me know. My only criteria would be that you are familiar with my previous story-lines, and that you have the time for regular communication.  
With that pitch done, I should also tell you that 90% of what Takashi spouts in the next two chapters is real Japanese legend. Yup, did my homework.

* * *

The pressure of someone's hand was the first thing that Donatello was cognizant of. He blinked rapidly in the light that assaulted his eyes, and made the images around him a little bit fuzzy. Colors came into focus first, finally sharpening into real images after another minute or so. Then came the realization that he was on oxygen.

"Donny." His oldest brother called softly. "Can you see alright?"

The purple-banded turtle only squinted a bit more, but then nodded. "Is Raph--"

"He's alive, the docs are still trying to get him stable enough for surgery." Leonardo answered.

"We're home? How long?"

"Only about twenty minutes. Oh, and by the way, you're not allowed to do that ever again. You were going into heart failure by the time we got here."

"We were going to lose him Leo."

"We _could_ have lost both of you. Look, I get it, alright? I would have done the same thing if I was a match. But now that we know what will happen, I don't want you to come that close to seriously killing yourself again." He told him, quietly enough so that only Donatello would hear him.

The purple-banded turtle said nothing, as the sheer weight of everything that had happened in the last couple of hours hit him in the span of a couple of seconds. He shut his eyes tightly, and turned his face away from Leonardo as he struggled to get it under control.

"Stop it, you don't need to do that." Leonardo told him gently.

"It doesn't help _anybody_." He answered through clenched teeth, as a measure of serious anger came up along with the grief.

"Donny, we're going to get them." Leonardo stated firmly. "We can track their location, we'll get them back."

"Shell, I can't even think about it without..." The turtle trailed off, as he couldn't keep his voice from cracking.

"I know." The blue-banded turtle replied, unable to hide the tinge of emotion in his own voice. "But here's what I need from you right now, okay? You have to rest, do whatever the docs say. I'm going to need your help badly, but that means you've got to get your own strength back. I'll start getting things organized on our end, and I'm sure Greg can help with some technical aspects. I know you can't exactly turn this junk off, especially with Raph...But you have to find some way Donny. You have to, because I need you. That's your first mission."

* * *

The blue-banded turtle walked stiffly out of the room a couple of minutes later, right after Katherine and April came back. April was in place to keep an eye on Donatello while the docs were occupied with Raphael, and Katherine was supposed to be assisting_ them_. That left Leonardo to return to Greg and Brandon in the living area. He nodded grimly at the two of them, as he set one of Donatello's laptops down on the coffee table.

"Leo, are you alright?" Greg asked quickly. "Can I get you something?"

"Just stay where you are Heff." Leonardo stopped him from rising, and then turned slightly to include Brandon in the next part. "We can do one of two things right now. We can sit here and worry, or we can get to work. Personally, I'm leaning toward the latter."

Greg sat up straighter at once. "I'm with you Leo, we need to _do_ something."

"Where do we start? _How_ do we start?" Brandon asked helplessly.

"Tracking their location." Leonardo answered. "Greg, you can start in on Donny's software, can't you?"

The human nodded, and reached for the computer Leonardo had brought from the Lab. "I'm on it right now Leo."

Brandon let out a sharp breath as the blue-banded turtle sat down next to him. "What next?"

"Finding them will determine what happens next." He replied. "We can't make a real plan, not until we know what we're dealing with as far as a location goes."

* * *

Michelangelo didn't bother resisting the men that physically carried him after the van came to a stop. He couldn't get out of the restraints anyway, and the resulting blows probably wouldn't be worth the trouble. The only comfort he had in the back of his mind, was the certainty that the others would be coming for them. Fear for Raphael plagued him in the meantime, as he found himself agonizing every couple of minutes over what had happened with him. He hadn't been able to get a good look at him before being knocked out, but had the distinct feeling that his brother had been seriously injured.

He was sick of the hood covering his head already, and biting his tongue from mouthing off at the men who rudely jostled him. _Just keep your head down, your mouth shut._

It was clear that they were indoors now, by the sound that was echoing off the walls of the hallway while they escorted him without his feet touching the ground. No one had said a word since Shirou had started in back in the van, and it was getting a little eery with the passing minutes. The silence was seriously getting to him, making him feel like talking even more as a nervous tick.

He was carried through what was probably another doorway, as he captors squeezed closer to get him through it together. The turtle was startled when they suddenly shoved him to his knees on the cement, and then completely let go of him.

"Take that off, let me see him." An unseen voice ordered, and one of them swiftly obeyed.

Michelangelo took a gulp of free air as the hood was pulled off, and instantly looked left and right. He was surprised by how many people were actually there, silently lining the walls of the interior room. It took the turtle a moment to stop gathering in the sight of them, and focus on the one man standing in front of him.

He couldn't have been very much taller than Michelangelo himself, and his eyes were so dark that they almost looked black in this lighting. The man moved purposefully toward him, and couldn't resist feeling the turtle's shell. Over all his observations, the human paused for the longest over Michelangelo's eyes, as if particularly interested in them for some reason.

_Yeah, forget the fact that you've got a five foot tall turtle in front of you, you're more impressed by my baby blues?_

After a couple more minutes of probing, the man cleared his throat, and turned to those behind him. When he spoke, it was entirely in Japanese, and he was obviously talking about Michelangelo. The turtle had to focus hard in order to make out individual phrases at his rate of speed. His shoulders stiffened when he understood that human was expressing a desire to see a demonstration of some kind.

"Forget it dude, I ain't your performing chimp." Michelangelo snapped, suddenly forgetting his vow of silence.

Takashi turned back around at once. "You understood what I said?"

_Maybe that wasn't the brightest time to chime in bonehead._

Michelangelo didn't answer right away, but then made an annoyed face at him. "I 'spose you think your people are the only ones who speak Japanese?"

Takashi's true emotion was indiscernible to him, as he walked a tight half circle around the turtle. "It makes sense actually. The stories have said that after a turtle lived for a thousand years, he could learn the languages of men."

The orange-masked turtle didn't know what to make of that statement, so he said nothing.

"Release him, and give him his weapons." Takashi ordered, furthering confusing Michelangelo.

He was turned loose, and his own nunchucks laid on the floor in front of him. None of it made any sense to _him, _as no one seemed to be making a move toward attacking. He reached for his weapons slowly, but remained on his knees while he tried to figure out what this game could be.

"Kaito." The man called, beckoning a young man from his right side. "Atakku!"

Michelangelo knew what _that _word meant too. He leaped directly to his feet from the prone position, as the warrior charged at him with raised blade. The turtle easily evaded the katana, rolling just out of reach, before darting toward him again. He ducked the man's round-house kick, and then brought his own knee up to meet the human's chest. He followed the blow up with a firm back-hand to the human's jaw, and laid him flat with a final kick to the ribcage.

Takashi threw a rapid glance at Yukiko, and the woman scowled at him.

"I_ told _you!" She seethed.

Takashi then nodded thoughtfully in Michelangelo's direction, noting that the turtle hadn't even bothered to use his nunchucks. Now the creature was standing transfixed, as if waiting for whatever was going to happen next.

"Itsuki." Takashi summoned a second.

This one approached Michelangelo more carefully, brandishing a tanto in his left hand as he closed in on him. Michelangelo waited for him, not the least bit concerned with laying the first blow. When the attack did commence, the warrior's prowness with his blade became immediately apparent. This one was faster than Kaito had been, and required a little more agility on Mike's part to avoid the tanto.

He intentionally let the man step in closer to him, and finally lashed out with one of his nunchucks, captured the blade of the tanto inside of the connecting chain. The turtle whipped his weapon fiercely to disarm Itsuki, and then performed what was nearly a back bend to avoid the fist that shattered the air toward him.

Michelangelo quickly straightend as the human pursued him, and let the man get a grip on his shoulder. Once he was in the right position, the turtle fell into his favorite reversal, and flung the surprised human directly over his back.

The smallest trace of a smile entered Takashi's features, as he nodded once more. "Daichi." He stated evenly.

Michelangelo corrected his posture and shifted his balance as the monstrosity of a man came into view.

_Oh shell_.

Outrunning the man had been one thing - defeating him in one on one combat would be something else entirely. He unconsciously gripped his nunchucks more tightly, and planted his legs firmly against the floor as the otherwise emotionless man approached him with a low growl.

"Hey big guy." Michelangelo greeted him, nerves causing his tongue to be loosened once more. "Wanna have another race? Promise to let you get closer to winning this time."

Daichi made no reply to him, and also didn't bother with any weapon other than his bare hands. He bore down on the turtle, using every ounce of his own weight against him. The turtle avoided his fist, even as he was impressed by how fast the man was actually capable of striking.

_Shell, the guys weren't kidding about him!_

He spent about forty straight seconds avoiding the onslaught of the man's fists, before his leg absolutely came out of nowhere. The connection cracked the turtle's neck fiercely, and left him momentarily vulnerable to further attack. Daichi wasn't about to let that pass him by. His foot plowed into the turtle's chest while he was still down, before he could roll out of the way.

As it descended a second time, Michelangelo was getting his bearings back, and caught the leg before it could strike again. He didn't have enough leverage to bring the man down, but he _was_ able to jar the muscle hard enough to buy himself enough time to get back up. The growl pulsed louder as the human shifted the weight of his throbbing limb, and came at Michelangelo again.

The turtle darted just under his reach, and barely avoided taking a strike from the human's knee to his unprotected jaw. From his crouched position he levered off the floor, and used the momentum to plow directly into the larger man's chest. Daichi was thrown off balance slightly, and responded with a left fist that finally got through the turtle's defense, and cast him backwards into two of the men standing by the wall.

Takashi called out to them, and they both firmly latched onto the turtle from either side to hold him back.

"That's quite enough for now." Takashi said with amusement. "I never expect any of my recruits to actually beat Daichi going hand to hand."

"Y' didn't let me finish." Michelangelo retorted. "And I ain't your recruit."

"I know that turtle." Takashi replied calmly. "I simply enjoy seeing the different strengths and weaknesses of my ninja in action."

"You actually call yourselves that?" The turtle snorted derisively.

"What would you call us turtle?"

"I call it what it is." Michelangelo huffed, and then his voice took on an entirely new serious quality, which was completely different than before. "You can dress it up any way you want, but when it comes down to it, you're no different than any of the other bad guys out there. You're thugs, who wouldn't know real honor if it slapped you in the face. _That's _what ninjutsu is - it's not how hard you can hit someone, or how fast you can take them down. It's honor, loyalty, respect - not just for yourself, but other people too. It's monsters like you that give ninjas a bad name."

Michelangelo hadn't planned on the speech, but he couldn't stop it from coming out either. He expected a swift reaction from Takashi, but the man simply returned to studying the turtle's eyes.

"It would appear that there is a misunderstanding between us." Takashi said with a new tone of his own. "I mean not to fight with you - but only to reason. We are your own people after all, it makes no sense for us to be enemies."

Michelangelo stared back at the man incredulously. _What the shell is he talking about? This guy sounds nuttier than Stolle. At least his delusions made a little bit of sense._

"Will you tell me which spirit I am speaking with?" Takashi requested, and the turtle's entire body went slack against the men that grasped him, as he tried to imagine what that actually meant.

His gaze flickered to the surrounding men again, and he swallowed hard as they edged in closer. _Shoot, I didn't realize I got a one way ticket into crazy town._


	51. Guardians

The orange-masked turtle had been physically restrained once more when he didn't answer Takashi's last question. He was by no means disappointed that they weren't interested in hurting him more at the moment, but was completely perplexed as to what was going on. He'd decided that silence would be the best route again, at least until the man stopped talking in riddles.

"You honestly believe this creature to be one of the Shitenno?" Yukiko was asking Taskashi a little uncertainly herself. "They are no spirits Taskashi-sama, even if some of the people in this city assumed them to be."

"I do not believe them to _be _the spirits themselves Yukiko-san, but merely their earthly vessels. Have you any idea of the long history tied between our culture, and the creature sitting directly before you? Have any of you?" Takashi raised his voice to address everyone. "You stare in wonder and amazement, but the stories are recorded from centuries past. Long have turtles been known as spiritual creatures of longevity, strength and wisdom; living thousands upon thousands of years. Why, this one in our very room may have lived on this earth for longer than we can even fathom."

"But what about those legends would have you believe that these turtles now channel the Guardians?" Yukiko persisted.

"Open your eyes Yukiko-san, and perhaps you will see it yourself. Consider their nature, their number, their abilities. The Four Heavenly Kings they were called, spirits that were charged with warding off evil, and protecting the world from malicious forces. Spirits that rarely choose to take physical form on this earth now, but in time of need may manifest themselves through an earthbound creature. The turtles' would be an ideal host for their purposes, based on their own experience and abilities.

Their sudden appearance on the fringe of our operations, their unexplainable knowledge of our movement, even the fact that our lost sureibu was among them, in their protection. How do _you _explain all of this Yukiko-san? You do not have an answer, do you?"

When the woman said nothing, he beckoned her to come closer. "Have a closer look at him."

She came obediently to stand in front of Michelangelo, and shrugged very slightly. "I have seen already. You must tell me Takashi-sama, for I don't know what I'm missing."

"His _eyes _fujoshi. Must I spell everything out for you? The Shitenno each represent a different compass direction, season, color, and element of the earth. The guardian Jikokuten is over the East, and his element is Water. Are you beginning to understand?"

"They're blue." She stated obviously.

"A most unnatural shade for a creature of his standing, wouldn't you agree? What of the other you fought with tonight? Did you observe _his _eyes?"

Yukiko gathered her thoughts silently for a moment. She remembered the turtle's unique eyes glaring back at her from the floor extremely well. "They were gold..." She faltered. "Gold flecked with the smallest amount of copper. I'd never seen such eyes, that reminded me so much of a flame." She admitted openly.

"Zōchōten, the guardian of the South, who claims the element of Fire." Takashi stated in exasperation. "All of you may find it hard to believe that such legends live and breathe among us in the world today, But no one can now deny the existence of these turtles, can you? You've seen them with your own eyes, fought with them a number of times. All that remains to be seen is whether or not the Guardian spirits can be reasoned with."

The man turned his gaze back to Michelangelo finally. "What say you? Among all those that dwell in this world, why have you singled us out?"

From somewhere in the recesses of the turtle's mind, an old movie quote was coming back to him.

_"It's against my programming to impersonate a deity."_

But now wasn't the time to get smart with this guy. He would be treading a very thin line here, and understood that how he responded to Takashi now would have an impact not only on him, but the other women as well. With a sharp breath, he evened out his voice into what was a flat rather monotonous tone.

"I am not the Messenger." He said simply.

"But you do not deny that you have been sent against us?" Takashi persisted.

"I am not the Messenger." He repeated. "I mean to tell you nothing under these conditions."

"Under what conditions would you speak to me freely?" The man asked.

"Those you have stolen, you have no right to. They must not be harmed." The turtle intoned with a note of insistence.

"For what purpose have you concerned yourself with them? There are many daughters of men on this planet, in worse conditions than they." Takashi said curiously.

"I will make no explanations to _you_ son of Man." Michelangelo replied importantly. "The authority by which I act is no business of yours'."

"You have made it our business by interfering in our affairs, hampering our efforts." Takashi answered. "If you wish for no harm to be done to them, I require a reason at least."

Michelangelo's mind was rapidly searching for the correct words to use, a vague explanation that would temporarily satisfy the man. "They are Muses." He stated after a few seconds. "Life-changers, beacons of inspiration to the world that you live in. They are the soul of this generation, set apart to impact many nations."

"And therefore, you guard them dutifully." Takashi said slowly. "But they do not all of them belong to you. One of them already belongs to us, has for close to a year."

"A human life cannot be bought or owned." The turtle stated with sudden vehemence. "The cries of those you have stolen and ruined beyond recognition reach to the heavens, their voices speak out against you. Why do you wonder that we are here at all?"

Takashi studied him for a moment longer. "We do not need to be enemies, and I have no need of these 'Muses', as you call them."

"Then it would suit your health immensely for you to release them." Michelangelo said sharply.

"That I cannot do yet," Takashi said swiftly. "For now I see the value they hold to you, and I need to be certain that I have your cooperation. Will you give me a sign Jikokuten, of the real power that lies inside of you?"

"I will do no such thing." The turtle answered. "You do not command me son of Man."

"The flesh that you inhabit, it is not a permanent one I'm told." Takashi said warningly.

"This is the form I have chosen." Michelangelo told him. "If you cause fatal harm to it, you will lose every opportunity to 'reason', as you say. The next body will not be so forgiving as this one has been."

With that said, the turtle broke the unwavering eye-contact he'd been holding with Takashi, then blinked a few times with a sharp exhale, as if only now aware of his surroundings.

"Jikokuten?" Takashi said questioningly.

"Name's Michelangelo." The turtle said in his normal voice. "You wanna back up a bit dude? You're totally crowding my personal space here." He finished cheekily.

The man took a step backwards, but never removed his probing gaze from the turtle. "Where were you just now Michelangelo?"

"What are you saying? I've been here the whole time, you're the one holding me. How could I go anywhere?"

"I was not speaking with you moments ago. Do you remember any of the conversation?"

"If I wasn't talking, how would I remember it?"

"Do you have the ability to bring him back turtle?" Takashi asked.

Michelangelo snorted. "You think I control _him?_ That's not how it works. He either comes, or he doesn't. Did you tick him off? You might be waiting awhile."

Takashi lightly drew his unseen blade, and allowed the katana to rest at the base of the turtle's chin. "For your sake, I hope that won't be the case."

* * *

Karina had been awake for several minutes now, having come around with a heart that was already racing. She woke up on her side, completely unable to shuffle more than a couple of inches through the cords that bound her. Inching a small amount at a time, she fought to get a good look around the room she was in, and laid eyes on the warrior that was guarding the door first. His expression was almost completely blank, as though he felt nothing at all. She had no desire to remain on him, and swiftly shifted her gaze another direction, to find someone else lying on her other side. Jenna.

Karina eyed the guard once more, but then decided to risk it. "Jenna!" She hissed as loudly as she dared. "Jen, are you awake?"

The woman's head rose slightly off the floor in response, and struggled to twist in Karina's direction.

"Are you alright?" Karina whispered, eyeing the man once more as she felt his gaze.

"I guess." She answered in obvious annoyance with the situation. "Are you?"

"Yes. They've got Calley somewhere around here too, I saw them take her." She told Jenna grimly. "What about you, did you see anything else? Do you know about the guys?"

"No," Jenna replied softly. "I don't know anything. I'm sure they must have heard me, but I don't know what happened after they drugged me."

As the whisper finished leaving Jenna's mouth, the lone man turned to knock on the door, as if it were some kind of signal.

"Jen, they're definitely the same people who had Calley before, which means--"

"Akiudo. How did those rotters even find us?"

"Well, it wasn't through Calley. They were just as surprised to see her, as she was to see them. That woman said they weren't even looking for her."

"What woman?"

Karina didn't have time to give an answer, before a couple of additional men entered the room, and both girls tensed. The men chuckled together, as if enjoying a private joke all their own, and one of them reached for Jenna's chin to get a better look at her.

"I could sure get 'inspired' by her." He smirked, even as the her light blue eyes narrowed at him. "I like a little bit of fire in a girl, it makes you more interesting."

"If you want to feel truly interested, you ought let me go." She informed him icily, as the warrior curiously probed her muscular shoulders.

"There will be time for play later." He told her, as he reached to draw her off of the floor. "First you must be moved to your_ new _home."

A deep sense of panic rose in both women, at the prospect of being separated. Karina instantly wrestled with her own wrists behind her, as if it would do her any good.

"Jenna! No, don't take her away!"

"I'll be alright!" Jenna called back to her, as she glimpsed the man who was holding down a flailing Karina. "Kari, it'll be okay, don't fight them!" She insisted, even as she smoldered inwardly herself. _If this guy tries to lay a hand on me, he'll get fire alright._


	52. Your Strength

It was after four in the morning before Luke and Marcus had Raphael in a remotely stable holding pattern, and it had required going through almost their entire blood reserve of the type that he and Donatello shared. The delicate process of re-inflating the collapsed lung and closing up what had been nearly fatal injuries had taken a lot out of both doctors, but it was Luke who was currently on the verge of collapse, and Marcus knew it.

"Luke, go catch your breath." His friend directed him. "Donny hasn't stirred in hours, and I can stay with Raph."

They'd intentionally given the purple-banded turtle additional medication in his IV unit that would force him to sleep, as they both knew full well he would have remained completely occupied with everything that they were doing for Raphael.

"It's okay Marcus, I don't need to go anywhere." He said resolutely. "His vitals still aren't where they need to be."

"Right, and I'm _here _Luke. So get your tail out of here for a few minutes at least, before you lose it." Marc urged him, as Luke's shoulders slumped further.

Katherine reached for him as he went by her, but he waved off her arm.

"I'm fine Kat." He said as evenly as he could manage. "I just need to sit down for a little while. I'll be back."

Leonardo and Greg sat up from their perches when he entered the living area.

"You guys should be getting some sleep." He told them. "We've done what we can, it's just a waiting game now."

"Doc, let me get you something." Leonardo said insistently.

"Leo, I don't think I can even stomach anything right now. I'm just going to satisfy Marc, chill out for a couple of minutes." Luke replied. "Seriously, get some rest. We'll tell you if anything changes."

Without the energy to urge them any further than that, he climbed the staircase to go to the bathroom upstairs. His grip on the railing felt like a lifeline, as if he was physically being forced to drag his own body up the steps. The man collided with the wall behind the closed bathroom door, pent-up stress and emotion exploding as if it wouldn't have stayed under the surface for a moment longer.

With his head buried in his knees, he made some attempt to muffle the outpouring, but not enough. Brandon hesitated outside the door for a couple of minutes, before working up the nerve walk in on him. The man didn't honestly know what to say, so he just walked over to Luke's side, and sat down beside him.

When the doctor looked as if about to rise, Brandon instantly pulled him back. "Take your time." He encouraged him. "You're not a machine Luke - you can't go on indefinitely. Just sit here for awhile, okay? Either that, or we can go somewhere more comfortable." He suggested.

"No, I can't let them see it." Luke answered. "I need to get it together, and get back down there."

But even as he tried to do that, another wave of emotion stronger than the last swept over him. He felt Brandon's hand on his arm after a moment.

"You know, you're even more amazing than I thought you were." The man told him quietly.

"I'm not." Luke said when he could. "I almost lost him, and we still don't know what will happen. I couldn't even tell the others everything yet. He has _burns_ from the number of times I shocked his heart, I can't even believe he survived three hours of surgery. I didn't think he would - but I couldn't stop without trying."

"He's alive Luke, and that's thanks to you, you and Marcus."

"He's _alive_ because I knowingly allowed Donatello to endanger his own life, fully aware of the risks. Without those pints from him, he wouldn't have survived the trip. I let him do something that put him in a life-threatening position of his own. Where's the responsibility in that?" Luke's voice soared and cracked through the emotion of the statement. "They entrust their lives to me. I have to make the tough decisions, not bow to their wishes. I never should have let it come that close."

"Luke, he got through it." Brandon said quietly. "And you said yourself, Raphael wouldn't have lasted if you didn't."

"And that makes it okay? It's okay to nearly kill one, as long as it _might_ save the other? What kind of doctor operates under that jargon?"

"All I'm saying is, both of them are alive, and you've had a large part to play in that. You're not dealing with normal circumstances or conditions, so you can't go by the rules and regulations that have been ingrained in you. What you ought focus on right now is the fact that they're alive. You fought, and you won." Brandon finished firmly.

"We haven't won yet." Luke said morosely. "And it's far from over, even with this single crisis. We currently have four others to be worried about too."

Brandon didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Tell me again, how you know Karina's alive?"

"The implant she has delivers her vital statistics to us Brandon, in addition to being able to track her location." Luke replied. "I can say with certainty that Michelangelo, Karina, and Jenna are alive."

"What about the fourth?"

"She's only been around here for about a month, not long enough to have acquired an implant already." Luke answered, and looked back at the floor. "Honestly, I fear for her life more than the others."

"Why's that?"

"It's a long story, that I don't want to get completely entangled in at the moment. Sufficed to say, these people have plenty reason to want her dead, and they've already tried to kill her father before."

Luke closed his eyes with a shaky breath, and Brandon sensed he wasn't helping matters, so he changed the subject.

"Raphael is an interesting guy, isn't he?" Brandon tried to ask casually.

"That's one way to put it."

"Something he said when he came to see me days ago, and again tonight...Luke, it sounds like he's got feelings for Karina."

The doctor exhaled sharply. "It's not my place."

"After all this, I think you should be able to level with me. The last thing he said to me was to tell Karina he was sorry. Are you going to try and say he doesn't care about her that way?"

"I never said he didn't."

"Luke, please? I'm trying to figure things out here, but I can't do it alone. It's a simple question - does he, or doesn't he?"

Luke finally nodded, since it seemed there was no hiding it from him anyway.

"What about her?"

Now Luke_ really _bit his lip from responding.

"Do you realize that you're answering the question by_ not _answering it?"

"Brandon, this isn't something that the two of_ us _should be discussing."

"Is he good to her?" Brandon asked with an edge. "Does he respect her?"

Luke sighed heavily. "She couldn't be in better hands than she is with him. There's nothing in this world he wouldn't do for her, and he'd sooner die himself than let anyone hurt her. I know how strange this must feel to you, how frightening it is to be thrown into. But you've got to at least trust your sisters' instincts, that they know what they're doing. If you could get to know these guys, you'd see it too, I promise you."

"I've seen enough already I think." Brandon said a little sharply, but then immediately softened. "I've seen that he...all of them, care more about everyone else than they do themselves. That kind of selflessness is hard to come by, and they _all_ have it in droves, don't they?"

"Every last one of them Brandon."

* * *

Leonardo was currently lying flat on his plastron on the end of his bed, feeling more than a little bit lost. He'd always considered it his responsibility to be strong for the others, to be the one who didn't waver, no matter what they were going through. How easy it had been to neglect the truth that they had often helped _him _to stand, as much as he'd needed to be strong for them.

_No one creature can maintain a family alone, _his Master's voice came back to him from years previous, when he'd confessed his fears of inability to his dying Sensei._ You have often tended to take too much upon yourself. If the clan is to remain as it is now, it will take effort from every single one of you. All of you must share this responsibility in order to stand as One._

He rested his forehead firmly against his pillow, as tears threatened again. Why had he always thought that he could even be strong enough to single-handedly support the entire structure? Now that he was currently left with none of them by his side, he barely felt strong enough to lift a finger.

_Now I know how Mike must have felt before. Where am I supposed to draw strength from, when there isn't any left to be found?_

As he closed his eyes with that question, he felt a tingling sensation across his skin, a feeling akin to what he'd felt in that prison cell in Dayton, the morning before the tornado had struck. He didn't so much as move an inch, barely daring to even breathe as waves of an unseen presence met him a second time.

_**To come to the end of your resources is not the end of everything. **_**My**_** strength is made perfect in weakness.**_

His dark eyes came open at that, and he trembled slightly as a sensation that felt very much like a breeze traveled over his shell. When he breathed now, it seemed that there was a sudden freshness to the dank air he was used to living in underground. It spoke of all the newness of Spring, like the clean scent left after the rain had fallen. He breathed it deeply, and rested his head deeper against his pillow again.

_**They're not in **_**your**_** hands, **_the Voice reminded him. _**You are not charged to sustain them. As you are coming to the end of yourself, you've hardly begun to crack the surface of My own strength.**_

There might have been more, but the blue-banded turtle was already on the fringe of exhaustion as it was, and the peace he felt at that moment made it even harder to remain awake. Heavy eyes closed on their own accord, and he fell asleep beside quiet waters.


	53. Creativity & Desire

***I think I enjoyed this a little too much.**

* * *

Michelangelo was worn out, sore, and thirsty. But under the circumstances, he still didn't feel like he could actually complain much. No one had laid a hand on him since Takashi's forced "demonstration", and the man himself hadn't followed through on the threat with his blade. Not yet anyway. Since it was difficult to sleep in the fashion that he was bound to the chair, he'd spent the last few hours considering how he could buy them all some more time.

Takashi had been kind enough to spout his theories on them within his earshot, but that didn't mean that the turtle had a clue of the behaviour that was really expected from one of the Guardians. He mentally went over phrases in his head, carefully searching out his Sensei's speech pattern in particular, as he expected it would sound closer to how one of the Four Kings was _supposed_ to sound.

At the same time, he would need to exaggerate his own behaviour as "himself", to be certain that Takashi could distinguish the difference between the two. It was a fact that the youngest of the turtles was not a good liar under pressure, but if there was one thing Michelangelo was _not _lacking in, it was creativity. Creating stories and roles in his mind had never been a difficult thing . So rather than focusing all of his energy on hiding the truth, he would have to feed the man a believable role that would completely distract him from it.

_None of these wise old types really say what they mean anyway, right? That's part of their shtick - you're supposed to figure it out without them telling you completely. Be purposefully vague, and let the man draw his own conclusions. Shell, where'd _that_ come from? You don't even know what's in the box until you go to let everything out, _he thought with a little amusement.

The orange-masked turtle was merely resting his eyes, when he sensed someone nearly standing over him. He opened his eyes with what he assumed was a rather vacant expression, and raised them slowly to focus on Takashi.

"Otetsudai shimshouka?" (Can I help you?) He asked the man.

"Awase mono, hanare mono." (What may be joined, may be separated.) Takashi answered coolly. "It does not bode well for your 'host' for you to disappear on me."

"Abunai koto wakega no uchi." (Dangerous things are a harm to oneself.) Michelangelo replied. "You forget who you speak with son of Man."

"It would be easier not to forget, if you would remain accessible for me to speak with. There is much to say between us."

"Where words are multiplied, so often is foolishness." The turtle intoned.

"Allow me a single question for now then." Takashi requested. "Answer this, and I may yet grant your host relief of some fashion. Why do you come to us only now? The cries of your own children in Asia itself were not loud enough to reach your ears?"

"Who said they did not?" The turtle said simply. "You do not actually believe that your actions were hidden from our sight."

"But you made no attempt to hinder our collective purpose." The man pointed out.

"Your blindness is not my concern." Michelangelo stated solemnly.

"What are you saying? That you've already taken action against us before?"

"The wind blows where it will - if you fail to distinguish a breeze from a tempest, how can you truly count yourself wise?" _Shell, I don't even know what I'm saying right now - I'm sure he'll figure something out. _

"How long have you been coming for us? A few years, a decade? Why take such strong interest in our actions, when there remains many more enemies of your noble empire?"

"What right does the clay have to correct that hands that shape it?" The turtle answered even more quickly.

"Do you honestly mean to answer me nothing?" Takashi said.

"The one is a fool, who does not recognize answers already given."

Takashi grunted something indiscernible under his breath. "Then how are we to proceed? Can you give me one straight answer?"

"Many answers I have already given, it is no fault of mine that you do not grasp them." He replied.

Takashi paced a few steps, and then focused hard on the restrained turtle again. "It seemed that we were covering more territory when we discussed those that are so important to you. Perhaps it makes more sense to return to those grounds."

"I have already spoken what I will of them, that they are not to be harmed."

"Your own cooperation with me will be what determines that." Takashi stated flatly, and the turtle visibly faltered with a trembling sigh.

While Takashi watched, the turtle yawned deeply, and then glanced at the man again, as if noticing him for the first time.

"You again, huh? I don't 'spose you've got any breakfast in your back pocket. If you've come to interrogate me, the least you can do is feed me first. Guarantee I'll stay awake longer." Michelangelo said impishly.

"I have not come to speak with you turtle, but the one above you. How can I get him back?"

"I dunno doofus, you could start by not ticking him off." The turtle said sarcastically, and received a hard right fist across the mouth for it._ Too much Mikey, a little too much._

Michelangelo craned his neck painfully from the blow, and scowled at the Asian man. "Sorry if that's a little too honest for ya dude. Lemme try and speak your language here. You'll get more flies with honey than with vinegar, y'know? You want him to stick around, you have to treat him right. But there's no sense in going off on me about it, 'cause I don't control it anymore than you do."

"Why does he care for those women so dearly? He called them 'life-changers'. I'm not familiar with the phrase."

"You wouldn't be," The turtle said contemptuously. "Because the only thing you see in these girls is their potential worth in money, not the value of who they are, or what they have to give."

"But these three in particular hold some special value to the world?"

"Every life holds value." The turtle corrected. "They're just a few of those chosen for this time and place."

"To do what?" Takashi demanded.

"I doubt you'll ever have the patience to figure that out dude."

* * *

Calley was lying on her side in Shirou's quarters, silently facing the wall as she'd been doing for hours already. It was incredibly surreal to be back in this place again, after already being free of it. She was staring now at her own tally markings on the wall, etchings she'd made to try and retain some sense of sanity inside her tortured mind. Shirou had forced himself on her the night before like so many other times, an act that was more about dominance on the warrior's part than real pleasure.

It was different to see this room, to be in the man's presence when she was actually_ in _her right mind. The man had left her wrists bound even though the door was locked; she was guessing more out of spite than actually expecting her to try anything. She felt sick to her stomach, though whether it was more from fear or grief, she couldn't say. Here on her own in the room she'd been left in, she'd spent countless days in the past simply in longing, waiting for Shirou to show up with the next fix.

Calley didn't care so much if she died at this point, but the other women and Michelangelo didn't deserve this. Frustration had welled up inside of her more than once, as she thought about members of the Akiudo laying their hands of them. But upon one such vision her mind kept repeatedly returning, of being alone with Leonardo in his room their last night togther.

Pulling away from him had been the last thing that she wanted to do. She had no fear of being harmed or taken advantage of by the blue-masked turtle. In fact, she_ knew _she was safer in his hands than she would ever have been with anyone else. It was not even for the sheer awkwardness of their physical differences, which in Calley's mind paled to nothing compared to how she felt about him.

But it couldn't be that easy, _shouldn't _be that easy to get close to him. She knew it was not sympathy or pity in his eyes, that he honestly cared for her more than anyone else ever had, save her father alone. And that was exactly the problem. She was no more worthy to be on the receiving end of such devotion, than she was ready to be considered for sainthood.

There was no part of her that was remotely deserving of Leonardo. If truth were spoken out loud, she was also deathly afraid of disappointing him, when he finally found out she really couldn't be normal again. Calley didn't feel like she was in a position to be with anyone, particularly when she was almost certain she would end up hurting him.

_But I already _have_ hurt him. I'm kidding myself if I think I can make these emotions just disappear. But wanting him has got nothing to do with deserving him. To die here has to be the better thing, for his sake. But I wish I would have told him why when I had the chance. I should have said how I felt, how much he meant to me. None of it makes a difference now, but at least he would have known the truth. God, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm so messed up, I'm sorry I messed _this_ up._

Calley heard the soft click of the door being unlocked, and stiffened severely. It was Shirou returning from a work-out, and feeling utterly exhilarated by the sound of it.

"To lose your life and then get it back again, it's one of the greatest feelings that there is." The warrior proclaimed, as he pulled Calley forcibly onto her back. "But I have a feeling it will not be comparable to the satisfaction of taking you apart, piece by piece." He finished, and waited for some reaction from her.

Her expression, though it had already been pained, didn't actually change. He peered at the woman curiously, searching for the familiar desperation in those brown eyes. There was plenty of feeling in them, just not the same that he'd witnessed month after months. In slow motion, he withdrew a packet of heroin from his pocket, giving her a wide smile.

"You do still want this, don't you sureibu?"

For an instant she literally stopped breathing, as the craving that had been a note in the background of her mind, once more grabbed center-stage. A part of her wanted it very much, wanted the escape and the temporary euphoria that would release her.

"Do you want it Haruko?" Shirou asked again. "Do you want it more than anything else?"

More than anything else....No, what she _wanted _more than anything was to be finally free once and for all, in the arms of the one she wasn't supposed to want. The vision of the blue-banded turtle instantly brought tears to her eyes in that moment, which Shirou completely misinterpreted as something else.

"You won't get it now." He told her matter-a-factly. "You took advantage of my hospitality before. You'll not receive another moment of pleasure before you die, I promise you."


	54. Waking & Working

Donatello stirred at the sensation of someone feeling his forehead, hands that felt distinctly female. He shifted slightly on the pillow, without completely opening brown eyes. "Jen?" He murmured a little groggily.

"No Donny, I'm sorry." Said a different voice altogether from his wife's accent.

The turtle released a ragged sigh, as the events of the night before rushed back in the blink of an eye. "April. What's going on?" He asked, and then took in the rest of the bedroom. "How'd I get here?"

"The docs had you moved, after you'd been stable long enough." She replied. "They knew you wouldn't rest well in the Lab."

"How's Raph?" He made himself ask.

"He's still hanging on. Everything's not perfect yet, but his vitals are light years ahead of last night. That's what Marc said anyway."

"And the others? Have they tracked their location yet? How do their vitals look?" The purple-banded turtle was fully awake now, and questions were brimming over the edge completely.

"Slow down Donny. I know that Greg was working on it last night, I'm fairly certain that he has them nailed down. The docs have been keeping a closer eye on the computer, now that they're more waiting around on Raph. No alarms are going off, which means no one's been badly injured."

He let out a soft breath. "There's so much to do, and I'm just lying here."

"If you don't rest, you won't be able to _do_ any of it." She pointed out. "Don't worry, Leonardo isn't being idle, and neither is Greg. You can go back to sleep, and if anything changes, _anything, _I'll let you know."

"So if Raph--"

"I'll let you know."

"Or if one of 'em--"

"I'll tell you Donny." She interrupted him. "Please go back to sleep."

"I don't know if I can." He answered.

"Shut your eyes, and I'll keep talking to you until you do." She replied, lightly squeezing his arm.

* * *

It took almost an hour for the turtle to settle back down, but when he did, he was firmly out of it for almost another five hours. The next time that he stirred, he opened his eyes to find his older brother sitting close by.

"Hey." Leonardo greeted him, and scooted his chair a little closer, now that he was awake. "You feeling any better?"

The turtle nodded slowly. "I think so. I think I'm hungry too."

"That's a good sign. Let me go check on something, and I'll be right back."

Leonardo was gone longer than Donatello expected him to be, and when the door re-opened, it was Luke instead of the turtle. Donatello sat up further against his headboard carefully.

"Doc. Have you had any sleep?"

"Not much, but yeah. I just want another quick look at you, now that you're up yourself."

"I'd wager you've _been_ keeping an eye on me, among everything else." Donatello replied.

"Those implants really are useful for _so_ many things." Luke commented, as he physically tested the turtle's pulse. "How do you honestly feel?" He wanted to know then.

"Better Doc, I really do. Just still a little worn."

Luke studied something silently on the screen of his scanner, as Donatello bit his lip slightly.

"Any sign of returning on Raph's part?"

"His blood pressure still isn't completely stable, but he was showing a couple more signs of awareness. I'll let you know when he comes around completely. In the meantime, I'm going to release you to do some _modest_ work from your laptop, as long as you're really up to it. Greg's reached a place where he needs your expertise. But I want you to eat first, and then you can't overdo it, okay?"

The turtle nodded somewhat eagerly, but then met Luke's gaze with a little more trepidation. "It wasn't your fault Doc." He told him. "You shouldn't be blaming yourself. It was my own doing...and if it came to it again, I'd do the same thing."

"No, you wouldn't." Luke replied evenly. "Because I'd put my foot down, like Leonardo already did. That's never going to happen again, and I have nothing more to say about that."

* * *

Greg didn't even bother entering the room until after the turtle had eaten, knowing that Donatello would never focus on the food if he'd brought the laptop in the room first. The turtle's eyes lit up when the man finally came in, with the computer under one arm.

"Let's take this slow to start with, okay? I don't want the docs to have to cut you off."

"Where _are_ they, first of all?" Donny asked.

"They're in a suburb, about thirty minutes outside the city. It's an unusual building, used to be owned by the state. Something to do with Industrial by-products, but that was over a decade ago. It's a pretty large scale structure, mostly on one level, though there's one beneath it, with...wait for it...underground access."

"No way." The turtle whistled. "Do we know that it's still accessible that way?"

"The original blue-prints weren't so hard to dig up, but the updated ones were another story. As of the last inspection, the place retained the sewer line access. It doesn't make any sense to wall that kind of thing off."

"That has me wondering about security." Donatello said thoughtfully. "It'd sure be nice to know what we're coming up against."

Greg gave him an unusual smile. "Think I can help you there too. I'm not sure about the specific components they have in place now, but I can tell you about their past experience. They're apparently obsessed with not leaving a measurable trail behind, to the point that cameras are pretty much off limits."

Donatello stared at him for a couple of seconds before responding. "They don't use a camera feed?"

"According to my source, their leader prefers warm bodies to cold technology, besides the possibility of leaving the visual evidence behind." Greg replied.

"Your source? You have a source now?"

"_Have_ had actually." He answered. "I've been communicating with an Agent in Okinawa, on a purely anonymous basis. She's been feeding me some real insight into the gang and...Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Why haven't you mentioned her before?"

Greg shrugged. "There was no reason to, I told you, it's been purely off the record. The info she's passed along hasn't been completely kosher for release, so she's been putting herself at some risk too."

"Why would she do that?"

"She's got some personal unfulfilled beef with the Akiudo of her own. As long as I'm getting the information, I don't care where it originates from."

"What info Heff?"

"Well, they don't run their own security net, for starters. It's always an outside presence, which indicates that there has to be an outside link that you can infiltrate."

"True, but without knowing what company they use--"

"Give me a little credit Donny. I did some tracing into their fiber optics this morning, just looking at the last installation. The whole place was re-wired a little over a year ago, by a certain Securities company you might recognize." Greg finally opened the lid of the laptop, and clicked to bring up what was a familiar website to the turtle's eyes.

"Anderson?" Donny couldn't help chuckling. "That's convenient."

"I thought so too." Greg replied lightly. "You think you're ready to work your magic here Genius?"

"Look who's talking. You really pulled this one out Heff." Donatello remarked, as he warmed up his fingers to the keys.

"You forget I've had weeks of groundwork already laid into these guys, we just didn't know how to find them."

"And now we do." Donatello said grimly, rubbing a hand across his forehead as anxiety hit him hard.

The turtle fortunately had significant experience working alongside said technology Company, having designed a number of pieces of software that had been sold to them through the years. Software that could allow him a backdoor into their operations, that he now needed full access to. The smallest trace of a smile returned as he started typing with a flourish, and gave Greg a swift glance.

"Heff, I can't tell you how glad I am to have you with me on this."

The man shrugged somewhat modestly. "It's a team effort. You know I'll always do everything I can...but the hacking is always going to be your ball-field."

* * *

It was nearly 7pm that evening before the red-banded turtle started to wake up fully. Instinct was to move, to attempt to raise his head, but even that would have taken too much effort. His dazed amber gaze took a few seconds to comprehend where he was, and then to accept the idea that he was actually alive.

It was only then that the sound of typing came into focus, with the understanding that there was someone on the computer, that he couldn't see from here. When he tested his jaw to try and say something, no real sound came out at first, With increased effort he succeeded in making a small grunt, and heard an immediate reaction from the direction of the desk and the computer.

Marcus grabbed a bottle off the desk, and shoved away from the keyboard so hard that it sent his chair half of the distance to Raphael in that one move. A smile was literally plastered on his face as he bent down to the turtle's level.

"You're not gonna jump me, right?" He asked the turtle ironically, earning all the fraction of a smile that the turtle could grant him after getting the straw into his mouth.

"Don't think I could tackle if I wanted to." He said somewhat hoarsely. He took another two sips from the proffered bottle, and locked eyes with Marcus again. "I'm alive." He remarked dryly.

"You noticed." Marcus replied. "It's good to see you Raph. Really, really good to see you."

"How close was I?" The turtle asked, and the smile disappeared altogether from the human's face.

"I don't even want to think about it right now, and you shouldn't either. But I should be letting the others know that you're awake, you've been keeping everyone on edge all day."

"Sorry I couldn't pick up the pace." He said weakly, with as much spirit as he could muster.

* * *

The word made it across the Den faster than a wild-fire could have spread, and Leonardo was in the room less than a minute after Marcus had left.

"So are you having_ fun _yet?" Raphael asked when he saw him.

"_Raph_." Was the only word he could immediately manage, as unexpected tears hit his dark eyes.

The red-banded turtle groaned softly. "Aw...don't get all mushy on me Fearless. Screws with your image."

But now that the tears had come, the blue-banded turtle wasn't even ashamed of them. "It's so good to hear your voice. Shell Raph, I'm sorry! I should have been there for you, for everybody."

"They did get all of 'em, didn't they?" Raphael's voice shook a little.

With a beat of hesitation, Leonardo nodded. "I'm sorry." He repeated. "But we know where they are Raph, we know they're alive. We'll get them back, I swear, no matter what it takes."

Raphael's breathing faltered somewhat for an instant, as he tried to contain his anger over the situation. "Y'don't need to apologize Leo." He said after a moment. "Just promise me you'll kick the _crap_ out of those guys for me. And no mercy for that chick either. I'm countin' on you Leo."

The blue-banded turtle grabbed his brother's hand, and gripped it firmly. "I won't let you down."

"Will you thank Brandon for me too?" The turtle asked unexpectedly. "He's here, isn't he?"

Leonardo nodded. "He's in, all the way. Shell Raph, just talking to you is..." He trailed off for an instant, as emotion threatened again. "I love you bro."

"Geesh, I really _did_ almost bite the big one, huh?"


	55. Limit

Michelangelo's blue eyes were trained on the floor, as he tried to squirm again in the too tight cords that bound his wrists together behind his shell. His head lolled completely forward now, chin nearly grazing his plastron through the weariness that had begun to overwhelm him. But no physical sensation could compare to his worry for the girls, who he hadn't been able to get a single scrap of information about.

Calley had never openly talked about her experiences behind these walls with the turtle, but Michelangelo knew that she'd been mistreated, abused, and driven to the point of being suicidal. His breath hitched slightly, as he tried not to imagine everything that might be going on outside of this room.

"It doesn't have to be this way you know." Takashi said amiably, speaking for the first time in nearly an hour. "We do not have to fight, nor do you need to be my captive. If you could just speak with me freely, I would be happy to accomodate you more comfortably."

Michelangelo's blue gaze met him disdainfully, and the turtle shook his head at him. "You think that I trust one word out of your mouth? Whatever your game is, I don't wanna play."

"Not even if it would save the ones you're so concerned about?" Takashi edged him.

The orange masked turtle wasn't sure how to respond to the man on that count. On the one hand, he was quite certain that trying to tell Takashi what he wanted to know wouldn't make the women any safer. On the flip side, it also could prolong his hand long enough, and give his brothers a chance to catch up.

"What do you expect to get from me?" Michelangelo asked him finally.

"I'm curious is all, for the moment." The man replied. "I have heard of creatures like you. My Grandfather was a very religious man, who took great stock in such 'legends'. I do not enjoy opposing you."

The turtle snorted at the last part. "Sure ya don't dude. It bet it pains_ you _terribly to leave me tied up this way."

"I know that I cannot control you any other way at this time."

"You can restrain me, but you don't control me." Michelangelo huffed in response.

"That is true, I cannot force you to deal with me. I wish that you understood it is in your best interest as well as theirs, that you would speak honestly with me."

"You wanna talk about honesty?" Michelangelo responded. "I doubt you know the meaning of the word."

"I have tried to show you some patience Michelangelo, but you are sincerely testing the limits of my compassion."

The turtle glared at him incredulously, as if he'd just announced the Moon actually _were_ made of cheese. "This is you being compassionate?" Michelangelo was slightly irked by now. "I tell you what - you really want me to talk? Then you'll have to give me some sign that those women are alright, let me see 'em with my own eyes. 'Til then, you're wasting your breath."

"Is that a fact?" Takashi asked very softly, as he walked behind him.

Without further warning, he lashed another length of cord directly under the turtle's chin, forcing his head upright. He yanked it tightly across his throat, and held it in place with steadily mounting pressure.

"I've asked very little from you turtle, only a bit of cooperation. You seem to be under some impression that I actually _need _you alive. What you've failed to recognize is that curiosity alone has gotten you thus far. If you cannot play kindly with me, then your difficulty here will increase along with theirs'."

The man held the cord taunt for a few seconds longer on the gagging turtle, before loosening his grip in the least.

"It seems to me that the message is still not getting across." Takashi said, after observing the cool defiance in the turtle's stare. "I suppose that a further demonstration is required to get through that tough shell of yours', hm?"

The man turned toward the young man near the door, and beckoned him to his side. "Gather a couple of your brothers," He ordered him. "We have a point to make."

Takashi crossed back in front of the turtle while the younger man left the room, and stared at Michelangelo long and hard for a few seconds. The orange-masked turtle stared right back at him without the slightest quiver, not so much as flinching under his gaze. His fist shot out for the second time that day, whipping the turtle's head back with the fierceness of the blow. His left fist immediately followed on the other side, drawing his first blood from him.

The turtle remained impassive, not reacting outwardly to the obvious threat that was being delivered. Takashi smiled thinly when Itsuki returned in record time with some of the others, and he drew a knife from his side. Without spoken word, Takashi sliced the cords on the turtle's wrists, so cleanly it nearly felt he was going to cut him intentionally.

Michelangelo had no chance to even flex his muscles before he was yanked from behind, and shoved back onto his knees once more. Blue eyes shifted over his attackers with an inward groan of resignation. He knew it was too good of a thing to last.

* * *

Raphael's breathing had been even for some time, still aided somewhat by the oxygen lines that supported him. He'd been asleep long enough that the two doctors felt safe to converse quietly, without so much as disturbing the prone turtle.

"Luke, it sounds like we need to talk about this." Marcus said a little pleadingly.

"Talk about what?" The man replied somewhat tersely. "Which thing do you want to talk about? The fact that a direct decision I made could have cost one of them their life, or the fact that my holding onto that rotten house once again put everyone I know and love in danger?"

"There was no reason for you to be forced to walk away from the Brownstone Luke. You're not responsible because they broke someone out of prison! How could you be?"

"Twice that house has been used against them Marc, twice _I've_ been used against them, to help someone else capture them! If I'd walked away after Stolle had Raphael taken, this couldn't have happened now. They wouldn't have Mike, or Kari, or Jen or...Calley. How am I supposed to talk to Tim about this face to face? How can I tell him that his little girl is gone again, because I'm a stubborn sentimental_ idiot_?"

"What happened the other night was not your fault!" Marcus said with a little frustration. "Raphael is alive, Donatello is fine, and we already have a good bead on the others. Stop trying to turn this entire thing into your own complete failure. Raph wouldn't have lasted the night if it wasn't for you!"

"If you're expecting me to quickly come to terms with the idea that I allowed Donatello to almost sacrifice himself for him, you can forget it. That's not going to happen."

"_What_ about Donny?" The red-banded turtle asked suddenly, of the two doctors who hadn't realized that he'd been awake for the last couple of minutes of their discussion.

"Aw Raph, I'm sorry." Luke said swiftly. "We didn't mean to wake you."

"What were you saying about him?" He asked a little more insistently. "Where is he anyway? Why isn't he hanging around on your sleeves like he always does?"

"He's resting, recovering from his own issues." Marcus answered, before Luke could say anything.

"Then what the shell is Doc so guilty for?" Raphael pursued.

"Luke is accepting fault for things that happened, which were beyond his control." Marcus replied.

"Donatello was not beyond my control." Luke responded immediately.

"One of you better tell me what's goin' on, for real this time." Raphael demanded, as strongly as his voice would register.

"I allowed your younger brother to donate too much blood, much too quickly, in an effort to save your life." Luke said. "We were going to lose you en route, so I made the call to let it continue, despite the risks."

"What happened, is he okay?" Raphael's voice soared slightly.

"He is _now_." Luke replied. "But he came very close to heart failure."

Raphael's amber eyes stopped focusing for an instant, as he released a shallow breath. "C'mere Doc. Come closer." He said after a moment.

Luke approached his level, still hovering a few inches away.

"No Doc, closer." He insisted.

When the man's collar was finally in his reach, he caught ahold of it. There was no real force behind his hand, but the seriousness of the contact was clear in his eyes. "Don't you_ ever _let him do that again, you understand me?" He commanded in a softly fierce tone. "If I'm on the way out, you guys are just gonna have to deal with that. Don't you let him trade himself down that way."

The man's blue eyes were immediately brimming with tears, and Raphael rolled his own toward the ceiling.

"Listen Doc, I ain't blaming you for it, okay? I know it was his idea, and I'm sure you didn't want any part of it. But I gotta rely on you to stop it from getting that far again. What if he'd died, and I'd lived? How could I deal with somethin' like that?" He rasped, the long speech seeming to take much of his remaining energy. "I know you saved my life, and I'm grateful." He continued after a few breaths. "But not as his expense, you got me? Never that way."

The man merely nodded as he let go of his shirt, and grabbed for his arm instead.

"Now stop taking all of this guilt on yourself." The turtle ordered him. "It's a distraction, and it won't help anyone. Everyone's gotta come together right now. Leo and Donny, they need you in your right mind."

Luke nodded again as Raphael released his wrist, but then held out his own arm toward him. The doctor carefully embraced the red-banded turtle as well as he could, and then lightly rapped him on the shoulder.

"Enough talking. We'll shut up too, and you need to get some sleep." He told the turtle, the familiar firmness re-entering his tone.


	56. Confidence

The orange-masked turtle was partially propped up against the wall, in the same position he'd come around in hours earlier. Arms were pinned behind him once more, and the cold from the floor felt like it was seeping into his very bones. Even so, it was hard for discouragement to completely take root. His brothers were out there, and definitely working like fiends to get to them. His level of confidence in that had yet to be shaken, and it was clearly evidenced in his body language.

Takashi had hardly slept since the turtle had been delivered to him, taking an extraordinary interest in the creature himself, and not just the spirit that he carried with him. There was something about the way the turtle had defended himself in the demonstrations he'd asked for, that set the creature apart from the others more than just physically.

He'd had many opportunities to see selective styles of ninjutsu in action, and witnessed the forms of several great warriors through the years. Takashi had made a point of selecting carefully and judiciously when it came to choosing men for his own following, for whom attack should come as easily as breathing. Watching the orange-masked turtle had been a singularly unique and powerful experience, that only further cemented the true danger of dealing with these creatures in his mind. In the one sitting before him he'd glimpsed a sign of something ancient, which only served to strengthen his own theories about them at the time.

Now on an impulse, he pulled his chair closer to where Michelangelo was hunkered down, openly staring at him until unnaturally blue eyes looked back.

"Do y' think I'm gonna disappear into thin air if you don't watch me?" The turtle asked with irritation, after trying to wet cracked lips that were extremely dry.

"Where did you learn to fight?" Takashi asked.

"Does it really matter? You don't even wanna fight fair. You're wasting your time if you think you can make friends with me."

"I'm really more concerned with your counterpart Michelangelo. It's been several hours since we had a chance to speak."

"I told you, he's temperamental. None of this is as easy as you seem to think it is." Mike retorted. "I can call him from noon 'til night, but if he's angry, he ain't coming."

"I sincerely hope that you can try harder." Takashi said evenly, as he got up from his perch to rest both hands on the turtle's shoulders.

"You have no idea what you're messing with." He replied a little sharply.

"I think it is _you_ who are unaware turtle. You've lived far longer than I probably should have allowed already. You'd do well to remember that I don't require your presence. It is enough to merely have you out of my way. I know that I am entertaining considerable risk by even holding you here."

_More than you can imagine_, the orange-masked turtle added silently.

"I can try to get him for you again, but I'm not making any promises." Michelangelo said dismissively.

In all honesty, he was concerned with how long he could keep the ruse going, before the man figured out that it was only an act. He swallowed sharply, and found himself wishing he'd never started playing along to begin with.

* * *

Donatello had graduated to the couch that morning, already in the full swing of things tech-wise before the clock had stuck 9. The purple-banded turtle was used to working a little more privately, but wanted to give both docs their space in the Lab, and had no more desire to stay in his room. It was far too empty and cavernous, a stark reminder that Jenna was missing. He was attempting to channel every bit of the emotion into anger, hoping it would fuel him on for everything he needed to accomplish today.

Brandon's curiosity was getting the better of him as he sat nearby, listening to the sound of the keys under the turtle's swift fingers. He cleared his throat a little awkwardly. "What's that you're working on now?"

The turtle didn't look up right away, still focusing on the screen in front of him while he answered. "I'm designing a patch for an existing piece of software. When it's applied, it should give the capability for us to interfere with Security on their end of things, without Anderson Tech being alerted to it."

"You can do that?" Brandon asked a little cluelessly.

He nodded. "It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours to finish, it's not as hard as you might think. The Akiudo apparently have this weird obsessive fear about leaving a trail, so they don't do a lot of cameras. There are a couple of fixed mounts outside, but once you get past the gate, they run on manpower. What they _do_ operate under is a pretty sophisticated set of motion sensor devices, the largest network of them that I've ever seen.

What I'm planning to do with the patch involves completely hijacking the signal which said devices emit and then re-directing it, so that the information can't get where it's supposed to go. In theory, we'd be able to operate invisibly - at least, that's what I'm going for." Donatello finished.

"Yeah. Sounds like a piece of cake." Brandon stated sardonically, raising his eyebrows as the turtle turned back completely to his laptop. Kat had informed him that this particular turtle was extremely intelligent, but he was still a little blown away to hear him speak so non-chalently about this stuff.

There was a firm knock on the front door, and then it immediately swung open inward to reveal Katherine and Greg.

"Hey, you're up." Greg greeted Donatello. "You must be doing okay if the docs signed you off."

"I feel fine Heff," The turtle assured him. "I'm just breaking ground on what we already talked about. How do things look at the Brownstone? Should I ever ask?"

"It's a wreck." Katherine answered. "But we found something, and it's probably going to need your touch to do us any good."

Greg held up what was obviously a cell-phone. "Facing is damaged, but it seems to be intact otherwise. Found it under the dining room table, pretty safe to say that it belongs to one of those guys from the other night. It'll start to turn on, but I can't get it past the first screen. Darn thing is encrypted, and it keeps shutting down."

Donatello instantly set his computer aside for a moment, and Greg passed the phone into his outstretched hand. The purple-banded turtle reached for the tool portion on his belt, and selected a small screw-driver. "Let's just take a look at what's going on inside."

"Where's your brother?" Katherine asked, as he turned to devoting his attention to taking the phone apart.

"I'm pretty sure he was burning some energy." He answered, without looking up from the project.

"Did you eat?" She asked him pointedly.

"Yeah Kat," He sounded more than a little distracted, as he concentrated on a micro-chip with small squint. "Mm. Okay. Lemme try something."

He took a couple minutes to put the piece back together and re-install the facing, before going to turn it on again. The turtle experimentally ran the tip of his finger over the keypad, and then tried a couple of different configurations, before settling on one with certainty.

With a small flourish, he clapped the phone shut, and offered it back to Greg. "There you go Heff. Have at it." He told him, and reached for his laptop again.

"I knew you'd be faster than trying to use the code-breaking software on it." Greg had to smile.

"Is there anything you don't do?" Brandon asked him.

Donatello shrugged. "I haven't figured out how to get a program to write_ itself_, so I sort of need to get back to this."

"Oh sure, sorry." Brandon said quickly, and Donatello waved him off.

"You're cool. I don't blame you for having questions."

"What are you going to do with the phone?" Brandon directed to Greg and Kat curiously. "Gonna reach out and touch someone?"

"Leo sounded pretty excited that we'd found it, so I'd say he already has something in the back of his mind." Katherine told him, while Greg began scanning through the contacts list. "Is anything standing out to you?"

"Yeah." He answered a few seconds later. "There's definitely a couple of names in here I've heard from my contact. Let's go talk to Leo, leave Donny to work in peace."

* * *

The blue-banded turtle was running through a complicated maneuver that involved the use of both of his katanas, when the humans approached the practice room. Brandon didn't take his eyes off the blades, even when Leonardo lowered them.

"What's up? Do we have ignition on that phone?" He asked.

"Sure do, Donny broke the encryption. What's going through your mind here Leo? Sounded like you had an idea." Greg asked.

"More of a thought process actually." He confessed. "I've been concerned about the number of warriors, as well as the fact that they're known for using sedation methods. We've got four bodies to rescue, and the likelihood of getting in and out with them unseen is a little far-fetched. So when you said that you'd found that phone...It got me spinning in another direction.

My gut tells me that they're not necessarily satisfied with taking Mikey, and thinking they killed Raph. They still have to consider Donatello and I a threat, so I was thinking, we should give them a chance to get their hands on us."

"Wanna run that by me again?" Brandon was utterly confused.

"What I'm suggesting is that we employee the classic 'stand-up' method. Set a meeting for a particular place and time, then tell him to come alone, which he obviously won't do--"

"How do you know he won't?" Brandon asked.

Leonardo shook his head. "Bad guys never follow the rules Brandon. So we set up a meeting, and while a significant portion of their men are off trying to get a hold of Donny and I, we show up on their doorstep instead."

"I like it." Katherine said. "But I think _we_ could string them on a little too, try to buy more time for a rescue attempt. What do you think Greg?"

"Well, I'm sure not wanting to try and pull another distraction tactic like we did when they were breaking into Stolle's building. Your husband would have our heads James. But it's possible that we could lead them on, without making the same kind of scene we did there. We need to talk through this." He replied.

* * *

They discussed possibilities right there in the practice room, even drawing Luke into it near the end.

"You know how I feel about you getting into with somebody Kat, or a lot of somebodies in this case." He said slowly.

"It won't be like that this time hon, I swear." Kat told him. "We don't even want to be physically seen, we just need to give them the impression that the guys are around."

"Right, and that still puts you and Greg in the starring roles."

"Luke, we have to do what we have to do." She said seriously.

He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Then what's our next step here?"

"Making contact." Leonardo spoke up.

Brandon had mostly listened thus far without interjecting anything. He had his own agenda for a role he wanted to play, but he would discuss that with Leonardo later. Right now, he followed everyone back into the living area, where they met back up with Donatello.

"Okay, keep it down guys, and let's just see what happens." Leonardo told the room, and punched the button for the last dialed number.

"Taidan." A voice greeted Leonardo after two rings, and the blue-banded turtle plunged ahead.

"I'm looking for your leader." He said authoritatively. "I'm told that Takashi runs things. Is that who I'm talking to?"

"You have Takashi." The man allowed. "But it is clear that the phone you are calling from does not belong to you."

"You should tell your men not to lose things when they're in the middle of an abduction." Leonardo said crisply.

"I agree, it is most irresponsible of them. Who are you, and what do you want?"

"You have taken that which does not belong to _you." _Leonardo said sharply. "I understand it's a regular habit with your gang, but you've really struck a nerve this time. I'm calling to discuss terms concerning my brother, and the three women you've kidnapped."

"_Brother_." Takashi said, now more interested than before. "Then you would have to be one of the other three, wouldn't you?"

"Let's dispense with the pleasantries, shall we? What is that _you_ want?" Leonardo asked. "You went to a lot of trouble to hunt us down, and then took our own rather than killing them outright."

"I have no desire to kill anyone." Takashi proclaimed. "I much desire to speak with you at length, and to have words with the Shitenno."

Leonardo's brow immediately furrowed. _Shitenno?_

"I have unfortunately not received very much cooperation from your brother. I fear that he is not allowing the spirit proper opportunity to speak through him." Takashi went on.

From the background on the man's end, Leonardo unexpectedly heard his youngest brother's voice cry out. _"Do not reason with the son of Man, for he is unrepentent!"_

Leonardo's face must have given away his complete confusion to everyone else in the room._ Mikey, what line of bull have you been feeding this guy? I think I have some catching up to do._

"Spirits are not known to be easy to control." The blue-banded turtle said guardedly, trying to remain vague enough to somehow align with Michelangelo.

"He has said the same, but I must tell you, I'm running out of patience." Takashi replied.

"So am I." Leonardo said flatly. "My brother and I will meet you face to face, but it must be on safe grounds. You say you have no desire to kill us, and that's all very well. But we will not meet with more than two of you at a time."

"Your terms are acceptable." Takashi said smoothly. "Where do you want to meet? When?"

The blue-banded turtle cast a probing glance at Donatello, and then turned back to the phone. "Tomorrow. I'll call you back with further instructions. That's all I have to say for now."


	57. Supervision

*** I've decided to hold my first writing challenge of sorts, and posted details in my updated profile today. Sense of humor required. ;)**

* * *

Karina had spent the last few hours curled up in a ball, dozing for about fifteen minutes at a time. As she'd yet to display the same violent tendencies as her counterpart, she'd been freed the night before, but remained under constant supervision inside of what was the over-sized quarters of at least three individuals. Every time she woke up she could feel someone's eyes, hungrily taking in every square inch of her frame.

She mentally berated herself for not being stronger, for trembling every time she felt the one man's hand on her face. Of the three that had been rotating watching her, she detested him the most. The others usually kept a slight distance, but not him. He seemed to take singular pleasure in making her as uncomfortable as possible.

As the warrior's hand grazed lower, her entire body stiffened this time. "Get _off _of me." She ordered through clenched teeth, fighting to steady her voice through the desperate command.

He caught her roughly by both wrists as she tried to roll out of his grasp. Something finally snapped in that instant, and anger took precedence over fear for the first time. She shared a few choice words in Spanish with the man, and he laughed under his breath at her. As the warrior moved to kiss her, she intentionally rammed her forehead into his, not caring in the least how much it hurt _her_ too.

Kaito slapped her soundly across the face, as life was returning to her green eyes. "You only make things harder on yourself by resisting. Do you understand where you are woman? Your life is not your own anymore." He told her matter-a-factly.

"You'll_ never _take me willingly!" She proclaimed, even as another of the young man was coming forward to protest.

"She is not your property yet Kaito! The issue of ownership is yet to be decided. You have no right to claim her for yourself!" The warrior said hotly.

"When I see something I want, I will take it. And you won't stop me Masuyo!"

Hands that moved like lightning wrenched around Kaito's shoulders, and dragged him forcefully onto the floor. Karina took the opportunity to leap from the bed herself, burying deep in the corner as if it would provide any safety. To think that some women_ enjoyed _having men fight over them like some piece of meat. The fear that was still lingering was turning into an anguished longing for Raphael, desperation to be behind the powerful turtle, where nothing else could hurt her.

Karina hugged her knees to her chest in anxiety as the men continued going at it. _What hopeless morons. What I wouldn't give for Jenna's arm right now. Oh Raph, I wish I was stronger, that I could take care of myself. But I'd be happy just to see you again, no matter what happens here. I hope you're alright, wherever you are._

* * *

Every time that Calley closed her eyes, she half expected not to be able to open them again. Shirou had been so tightly wound around her, that she honestly felt like her own death could be approaching at any moment. A deep depression had settled over her as she laid on that mattress again, completely helpless to do a single thing for herself. She couldn't prevent tears from rising, though she hated letting Shirou see them.

The idiot of a man thought that he knew her so well, that she was being consumed by the same hopelessness that he'd trapped her in for months previously. As difficult as that period had been, this was more heart-wrenching in some ways. After everything her father had gone through and given up in hopes of finding her, he was losing her again. She rubbed her cheek against the thin blanket she was lying upon, completely unable to even wipe her own tears away with wrists that were still bound. Regardless of the fact that he couldn't hear her, everything she wanted to say was still running through her mind.

_Dad, I'm sorry. I know I already told you that so many times, but I wanted the chance to _show_ you too. I wanted the chance to be your daughter again, as much as I didn't deserve it. I never even realized how much I missed you, until you were there again, reaching out to me like you always had. There's so many things that I wish I could tell you, things that might shock or horrify you. I'm so sorry for all that. I'm sorry I made you slug through everything alone. Mom left you, I left you...and now you're being left again. _

_I just hope you'll let yourself be happy again, that you won't push Victoria away through any of this because you're afraid. I know you're still afraid Dad, but you don't have to be, not of her. I saw her heart Dad, I should have told you that. She's pure goodness, everything about her is exactly what you deserve. I'm sorry I didn't tell you._

Her mind was still for a moment after, but not for much longer.

_Leonardo, I can see you with my waking eyes, as vividly as if you were standing next to me. Then I can close my eyes, and still imagine how it felt to be carried by you, to be safe with you. You would have accepted me if I let you, despite what a hopeless mess I am. I don't know how you could care for me that way, you who've seen me at my absolute worst, lower than I ever imagined I could go. I can't even come close to measuring up to what you are._

_You've been through tremendous pain in your own right, but you never folded. Nothing could ever overcome you. You're so much stronger, so much better than I am. And in spite of everything, of a world that can't ever really know who you are, you'd still die to protect it. You just are who you are, no matter what's going on around you. You're fearless._

* * *

Jenna had long passed anger, and was moving onto something much closer to seething rage. Unlike Karina's case, a veteran warrior had already managed to stake his claim, and retained Jenna firmly for himself in his own quarters. He had yet to completely force himself upon her, but she sensed he was moving closer to that direction with every passing hour.

He'd enjoyed goading reactions out of her with every brush of his fingers, but he was coming near to the end of his "courting" games. The young woman sucked in air sharply as he returned to his quarters once more, from wherever he'd been for the last hour or so. She had no idea what time it actually was, or what day it could be for that matter. The interior room had no windows, and no time-piece by which she could somehow keep track.

It was an infuriating feeling to be put into this position, a position she'd spent a great deal of her childhood in under continual abuse in the foster care system. _I ought be used to it, if a person _could _get used to it, _she thought fleetingly._ But that was the past, and this is now._

She wriggled her wrists behind her back for the fiftieth time, searching for some kind of weakness in the cord. But it held fast as every time before, while the man dropped onto the mattress beside her. He was clearly a little under the influence of something, and her heart sank further, as she knew it would lower his inhibitions even more than before.

Jenna gave him a steely eyed glare as he ran a hand through her raven hair, and held onto a particular strand as he addressed her.

"You are a privileged one sureibu. With as many women come and go through these doors, it is rare for one to be kept, to be specially chosen. You should feel honored."

"By honored, do you really mean nauseous? Because that's the only thing I'm feeling right now." She shot back at the man.

He laughed contemptuously as he leaned further over her. "I suppose you would rather be in the arms of one of your so called 'Guardians'?"

"I'd love nothing more." She answered without a trace of hesitation.

"Not seriously." The man had to add. "Protection is one thing, but you're not actually suggesting you'd like to be with one of them."

"I _am _with one of them idiot! And he's ten times the man you'll ever be!"

She hated his laughter, and the idea that he wasn't taking her seriously. More, she hated listening to him scorn the turtles.

"You can bad-mouth them all you want, but it will never change the fact that all four of them are better than you can even dream of being!"

"Four?" He repeated, as if further amused. "Not for long sureibu. Their number is already reduced by one - we took care of that red one before we left the house. And the other, this 'Michelangelo'? Even now Takashi wearies of him. His own fate is already sealed, perhaps as soon as today." The man boasted.

Jenna's blood ran cold, as this was the first time any of them confirmed that they had one of the turtles at all, let alone that one of them had been harmed, perhaps fatally. Desperation seized her outside of the immediate physical threat that Ryoichi posed her, and determination followed, slowly welling up in every fiber of her being.

Jenna twisted her body violently to get away from him, hurling her weight into the movement, so that gravity would carry her over the side of the bed. She rolled once on the floor to return to her back, running into the wall as Ryoichi pursued her with a chuckle.

"Why do you bother fighting sureibu? You can't escape me." He proclaimed as he hovered over her.

Jenna waited just until his_ head _was in the right position, and then brought bound ankles up in a powerful strike. She made resounding contact with his forehead, and had a moment of satisfaction when he hit the floor in front of her.

"I beg to differ." She said softly.


	58. Breaking Out

Jenna knew very well that her time was going to be seriously limited. She didn't dare hesitate a moment longer, struggling to get her own restrained form closer to the warrior. She'd seen the small blade he constantly kept on his side, and it was the very thing she was searching blindly for now. She located the hard grip of the handle first, and the plan for what she needed to do with it instantly started forming in the back of her mind.

Retaining a tight grip on the handle of it, she rolled her own weight away from the warrior, closer to the chair that was a few feet away from her. Jenna fought to get the weapon wedged under one of the legs of it, so that it would be angled her direction, rather than lying flat on the floor. It took a couple of attempts to get it into a stable position, where she was then safer to brace the cord against it without it budging.

Jenna knew she needed to hurry, even though she didn't really want to cut herself. She raked the cord with deliberate strokes, biting her lip when she felt the tip nick her skin along with it. She made the necessary adjustment, but was already feeling a little frustrated.

_Oh c'mon - _c'mon_! I watched that bloke sharpening this thing, it has to work!_

She felt the edge lightly against her wrist a second time, but pushed forward regardless, bracing the cord as hard as she could against the knife. The satisfying snap of part of the fraying cord was like music to her ears. She could move even faster now that she had more range of motion with her wrists, and had them completely freed less than a minute later.

Jenna yanked the blade out from underneath the chair leg, and sat up quickly to free both legs, again without a beat of hesitation. It would have been nice to wait for some feeling to return, but she didn't have the luxury of time on her side at the moment. Without taking an instant to address pain or slight bleeding, she began ransacking through the warrior's belongings, searching first for something to restrain him with. A duffel bag on the side of his chest captured her attention, and she pawed through its' contents to discover what looked very much like a kidnapper's kit. It was a distasteful discovery in many ways, but it would be a huge help to her own effort.

The bag was extremely dusty on the outside, as if its' owner hadn't used or thought of it in months. _He wouldn't have of course_, she reasoned with herself. _Greg said they changed their M.O. when they came into the country - they use those punk Americans to start all their dirty work now._

She fingered two sets of handcuffs for a moment, before glancing back over at the man on the floor, and getting an idea. She jerked to her feet and hurried back over to him, yanking the man by his arms to get him closer to the wall. There she snapped one of each of his wrists into an individual set of rings, and attached the other ends to the low-lying pipe that lined the wall near the floor.

Jenna hurried to lash his legs together with another length of cord from the bag, and felt his body lurch beneath her as she did. His eyes were just about to flutter open, when her calculated fist struck his chin. She exhaled sharply again as she retrieved the duct tape from his bag, and wrapped it firmly over his mouth for when he would wake up again. With that done, she returned to her feet, and quickly considered her options.

Walking out that door would mean instantly exposing herself to anyone and anything. As she tried to think of the best way to do it, she tucked the warriors' knife blade and sheath onto her own side, and fingered another object from the "kidnap kit" that she'd been rather happy to find. It was the familiar weight of a taser, very similar to the one April had given her years ago after her own ordeal. She took a moment now to experiment with the charge just to be certain that it was working properly, and was nodding to herself when a blast of air from the ceiling made her suddenly look up.

_Hold up. Maybe I don't have to seen after all._

Jenna dragged the chair over toward the cover of the ventilation system, and prodded it lightly on her tip-toes to see if the piece would budge. With a leap, she managed to jolt it free, catching it as the cover fell sideways. With another jump, she caught a hold of the sides, and yanked her way up inside of it, just enough to get a glimpse of the shaft. The presence of what looked like laser beams immediately made her backpedal.

_Motion sensors? Of course. How am I supposed to deal with _this_? _

She was just starting to consider the idea that she would have to use the door after all, when another crazy thought ran through her head. When one had a genius for a husband, it was hard not to learn a thing or two. What she _needed_ to do was find some way to blow a circuit breaker. Jenna climbed back down from the chair, and returned to ransacking the warrior's belongings. It only took her a matter of seconds to lay eyes on the wire coat-hanger.

_This could work, it could. But I still need to find..._

It occurred to her she'd already seen the other thing she needed, back in that duffel bag. She dove inside of it one more time, drawing out the pair of gloves hopefully. She turned one inside out to get a better glimpse of the lining, trying to quickly determine if it would be thick enough.

_It will probably do the job, it seems insulated enough. I'm trying it, either way._

Jenna heard the warrior's angry grunt from the floor, as she untwisted the coat-hanger out of it's normal shape. She straightened out the ends somewhat, completely ignoring the man was now firmly attached to the pipe.

_Crikey, I'm really gonna do this, aren't I?_

She slid on the too large gloves, and prayed that they would be enough protection from the charge, right before ramming the two individual ends of the hanger into a wall outlet. She jumped at the pop, even though she was expecting it, and let out a shaky breath as the room was plunged into complete darkness.

_Um...I probably should have thought ahead for this, _she thought with some irritation, as she bumped into the bed-frame on her way off the floor. She was slightly startled when a light came back on, but it was only an emergency one. Jenna returned to the chest one more time to grab a flashlight, before bounding back over to the chair. It was too late to back out now. She lightly tossed the flashlight into the shaft ahead of her, then braced on either side again to pull herself up and in.

Jenna forced herself to breathe slowly to try and even out her heart-rate, and started crawling.

* * *

In the same southwest corridor, Michelangelo had gotten his hopes up when the electricity went out, and waited with baited breath to see what would happen. There had been a lot of radio activity between his lone guard and a number of other people, but it didn't sound like there was any real concern on their end of things yet. About twenty minutes passed without a note of panic, and Michelangelo was just started to wonder if it was actually nothing more than a hiccup in the power.

The idea was crossing through his head for the third time, when a beam of light directly in his eyes startled the turtle severely. His head jolted somewhat in the direction of the ceiling, and he caught a small glimpse of it again through the slats of the vent, this time illuminating what was a familiar woman. He blinked a couple of times - but no, he wasn't seeing things. She flashed her light at him again, and the turtle threw an anxious glance in the direction of his guard over by the door.

_Shell, I know I'm gonna regret this._

"Hey tough guy!" He called to him scornfully. "I dare ya to settle up with me over here! Or are you only man enough to fight when you've got your cronies right over your shoulder?"

The warrior flexed both hands in front of him, and sauntered casually over to the turtle. "You must be really bored if you're trying to pick a fight here."

"I'm just curious if any of you have a mind of your _own_, outside the moron collective that is." Michelangelo answered.

The man fell back half a pace, granting him room to send a sweeping blow from his foot across the turtle's face.

"You must have no understanding of what it means to be seen and not heard." He taunted Michelangelo.

The turtle made a face at him, and then produced what was a rather sly smile. "Better to be heard than _smelled_." He cracked in return to keep the warrior's firm attention, while he could clearly see Jenna alighting quietly to the floor a few feet behind them.

She withdrew the taser, heart racing again as she approached the man, who'd just taken the opportunity to smack the turtle across the face a second time. Michelangelo started to open his mouth once more, but the man had already sensed Jenna's presence behind him when she got within inches, and started to turn.

Without any time to think, she leaped directly onto his back, and fought to make contact between his skin and the barbs of the taser. The man backed up quickly, struggling to get free of her weight. He'd nearly hurled himself into the wall, right before she managed to get the taser down on his arm, and activated the charge with a vehemence.

When the man collapsed beneath her, she leaped to her feet, lightly nudging his side to be certain that he was actually down. Only then did she run back to the turtle, giving him a half smile when he gaped at her.

"Holy _shell _Jen, you about gave me a heart attack! You're not actually alone are you?"

"Not now that I found you." She said impishly, as she took the knife blade to his restraints.

"Was the power your doing too?"

"Guilty, but it probably isn't going to hold a lot longer. Are you okay Mike, can you stand?"

The turtle stretched his limbs painfully, as he tried to separate himself from his own injuries. "I'll make it Jen, but what the heck? Are we winging this?"

"That's a fair assessment." She answered, as the turtle rose on stiff legs, and dashed over to the guard Jenna had just left so that he could get _him_ bound.

"Did they get all of you Jen, have you seen Karina or Calley?"

"I saw Kari - they kept us together until we were both fully awake. Haven't seen or heard from her since, or Calley for that matter. But Karina did get to tell me that she saw her being taken, so we do need to find both of them."

"No offense, but this is sort of suicidal." The turtle remarked as she motioned him toward the ventilation.

"I didn't know what else to do Mike, they...he told me they were going to kill you!"

"Bad guys will say anything to get under you skin Jen." He said with a small grunt, as he pulled his weight into the shaft with more difficulty than it normally would have been.

"He said they took _care _of Raph." She added bleakly. "Have you seen him?"

Michelangelo shook his head in the darkness. "No. I mean, I saw that he was down in the house, but nothing after that. I don't want to think about him maybe being dead, not until I have to. Like I told you, these guys will say anything if they think it'll get to you. Doesn't make it true."

"I'm sorry I jumped the gun," She told him. "But I hadn't heard a single thing about you. I didn't even know they had you until he said something."

"Let's just make a real go of this, and not waste the opportunity. Which way did you come from?"

She pointed her light to give him some direction, and then offered it up to his hand since he was in position to go first.

"Alright, try not to make a sound." He urged her, but then couldn't help smiling once he was facing forward again.

_Your chick has enough guts to wrestle a grizzly bar Donny. I hope I get the chance to tell you that._


	59. Forward

Takashi was trying very hard to listen to what the Asian Diplomat was saying from his side of the table, but his phone vibrating for the third time in ten minutes had him slightly distracted. The man continued droning on about US relations, while Takashi unobtrusively hit the button under the table to display the last text message that had been received. 911.

He growled inwardly, but simply smiled apolgetically toward the Ambassador. "Sumimasen Shinobu-Kakka. Please forgive me - I will return momentarily."

Outside in the hall, he quickly dialed his second-in-command. "Someone had better be dead or dying." He snapped tersely when Yukiko answered the phone.

"Forgive me Takashi-sama, but we had a power failure, in addition to a fuse needing to be completely replac--"

"You called me out of a meeting with the Japanese Embassy for a _power failure_?"

"You must let me finish! We traced the source of the surge to the southwest wing - someone intentionally overloaded an outlet. Now we are missing both the turtle and one of the women, who left behind only their guards! We're not sure who got our first or--"

"You mean to say you haven't found them yet?" He was nearly exploding.

"We haven't had a visual, but we're watching the other two women. It was assumed they would be heading their direction next. The power has been returned, but not all of our systems re-booted properly. That is to say, security measures have not yet been operational."

"Get Anderson on the phone!" Takashi ordered angrily. "Must I tell you everything? They have to still be on the premises, else someone would have seen something. Divide the men, cover every exit, including the basement. I will cut things short here, and be on my way back immediately. By the time I get there, they had better be contained, or someone's going to pay a heavy price."

* * *

Michelangelo was about as nervous as he'd ever been, but trying hard not to let Jenna see it. He kept his mouth shut as they both crawled hand over foot, trying to move as quietly as possible through the darkness. He hadn't expected the power to stay down forever, but he was still stricken when he saw the lights flickering back on beneath them, assuming the other systems would quickly follow. He and Jenna picked up the pace when they were unable to figure out if security was actually back on or not, having no choice except to keep moving forward.

There was only one direction they could go, and thus far hadn't caught sight of either of the other women, though they'd seen a stray warrior here and there. Michelangelo was only feeling more agitated with the passing minutes, and more anxious to catch some sign of their quarry. They were coming up on another room, when the thing Jenna had been holding her breath against seeing appeared directly in their path, in the form of a thin beam of red light.

"Tell me that ain't what I think it is." The turtle muttered, even though he already knew that it was.

"I'm sorry Mikey, I didn't mean to mess this up!" The young woman proclaimed, instantly trying to back up.

"It's too late Jen, if that thing senses motion, then it already knows we're here." He told her. "C'mon, we need to get down right now!"

"But if they find us--"

"Jenna, listen. Chances are, they can already track our movement now. That bein' the case, I think it's better to be where we can actually _run_, instead of sitting like ducks in this shaft - don't you?"

She nodded at him, and he immediately pressed forward through the beam, since it couldn't be helped regardless. He yanked the slatted cover off the shaft, and dropped carefully to the floor inside of someone else's quarters. When he turned around for Jenna, the young woman had already jumped out behind him on her own.

"Seriously, what do you need me for?" He couldn't help asking.

She didn't say anything in return, merely looked around the room that was so much like the others they'd been crawling over. The doorknob turned when Michelangelo tried it, and then he experimentally opened it a couple of inches. When no one instantly swooped down on him, he edged slightly into the hall, and motioned a hand toward Jenna.

"Still got your taser Jen?" He asked, and she held it up for him to see. "Good. Just thinking ahead. If we get into trouble--"

"You say 'if', like there's some chance that we_ won't_."

"If we get into trouble, I wanna separate Jenna. They've got to be more concerned with getting a hand on me again." Mike told her.

"Mike, we may as well go down together, I won't last on my own anyway."

"_You're _the one who escaped to begin with, not me. I'm not claiming that it will work Jen, I just think that it's worth a shot. Tell me you'll at least try."

"I will Mikey." She replied. "And I'm sorry."

One of his hands lightly fell on her shoulder for an instant. "Never apologize for not backing down without a fight. C'mon, let's get moving."

But they didn't even know which was the right way to go in the labryinth of hallways. Michelangelo motioned for Jenna to stay close to him, something that wasn't difficult for the young woman to do. If he didn't need the use of all of his limbs, she might very well have been clinging to him for all the anxiety that was coursing through her now.

Jenna's breathing sounded very loud to her own ears, the goosebumps traveling across her skin actually making her shiver a little involuntarily. Michelangelo's own senses were heightened, as adrenaline was surging to make up for everything that had already been taken out of him over the course of the last couple days. He wished he had his own weapons, but there was no telling what Takashi had done with them after that first "demonstration", and Jenna had already gifted the knife blade to him.

The turtle paused suddenly in his stride, stiffening in a way that scared Jenna very much. He listened with cocked head as he remained in that position for a couple of seconds, and then glanced at Jenna over his shoulder.

"_Run_." He said softly. "Back the way we came, take another turn, anything. Just get away from here."

When she didn't instantly respond, he gave her a small but insistent push in the other direction.

"Go Jen, while you have the chance!" He urged her.

She took a couple of uncertain steps, but then hesitated again when she heard a distinct echo. The orange-masked turtle had heard it too, and reached an arm over to yank her back toward him.

"They've got us cut off from both sides. If there's too many, don't try to fight 'em Jenna. You _know _the guys are coming, and it's not worth you getting hurt right here."

"I don't want _you _getting hurt!" She insisted, and then caught her breath as a group seemed to materialize from both directions, almost simultaneously.

Michelangelo's heart sank when he saw how many were hemming them in. Even at his best, dealing with more than fifteen thugs at a time was a challenge - and _these_ were trained ninja. _What I wouldn't give for a flash grenade right now_. _Or a dozen maybe_.

With a sharp swallow, he'd already decided on the only course of action that would get Jenna out of here with the least amount of damage. The young woman was completely backed against him now, arms raised defensively.

"Jenna, no." He said firmly. "It's over."

"You said we don't back down without a fight!"

Michelangelo indicated the dark figures on either side of them. "We're not getting out of this, and it's not worth anything happening to you."

"Mikey, y'can't--"

"Look, we give, okay?" Michelangelo announced to the warriors. "We surrender, we don't want to fight."

"I don't wanna give!" Jenna proclaimed fiercely.

"Jen, don't!" He commanded her, and then held up his arms willingly to the men to be taken.

The turtle was forcibly separated from her, and yanked against the wall with what he considered to be excessive force. He could hear Jenna struggling, and raised his voice to her yet again.

"Jenna, stop! Let it go!"

One of the men drove his knee forcefully into the turtle's midsection, repeating the action twice before Yukiko interrupted.

"Enough Yuuto - Takashi is minutes away, we need to get them back where they belong!"

Michelangelo focused on the woman steadily. "Don't hurt Jenna - this was my doing. I made her do it!"

"I have heard a rather conflicting story to that one already." She replied dangerously, and turned to face the dark-haired woman with a glare.

"I'm behind it, I'm the one who got out. It wasn't his fault at all!" Jenna insisted.

Yukiko tossed her dark ponytail over her shoulder in serious annoyance, right before striking the young woman mercilessly in the face. "_You_ have caused yet more problems that I didn't need!"

The snarl that escaped Michelangelo made Yukiko glance back at the men who were gripping the turtle. "Get the animal under control." She ordered them, and turned her attention back to Jenna.

Her long fingers latched onto the young woman's chin with sudden force. "Are you scared now? Perhaps you still need more incentive."

The orange-masked turtle was no longer being compliant. As he struggled like mad, Michelangelo got a mighty kick off with both feet, and sent a man flying into the wall across from him. The warrior recovered with a mighty swear, and shook his head.

"Enough of this." Kaito said darkly, pausing only long enough to retrieve a needle from one of the other men.

Jenna saw the exchange, and her heart quite literally stopped. "No, you CAN'T!" She forced out from under Yukiko's hand.

It took four of the men to hold the turtle down firmly enough to get the needle into his bicep, and Michelangelo couldn't withhold a gasp when he felt it go in.

_Shell...oh man..._

The men's faces blurred into strange shapes, as the fast acting sedative took over. His breathing slackened as the curtain descended, and he wondered if he would ever wake up.

* * *

Takashi was not pleased - he was not pleased at all. "How did this _happen _Yukiko-san?"

"I do not know how she overcame him." Yukiko replied defensively. "But we contained them, as you can very well see."

"We cannot allow for such mistakes to happen again. There's no telling what the turtle is fully capable of under the influence of the Guardian spirit!" Takashi stated. "It's time to take them below."

"Are you suggesting that we put them with the other slaves?"

"Of course not. There's plenty of room elsewhere. Keep the turtle housed separately, but you can put the other two girls together."

"Only the two?" She echoed. "What of--"

"Shirou's sureibu is not an issue." Takashi interrupted her. "He has her under control."

"You mean like when he lost her twice?"

"She is his property Yukiko, and he has earned the right to retain her. Are you questioning my authority?" He asked sharply.

She bowed her head at once. "No Takashi-sama. I am your servant."

"Very good then." He answered. "Have them taken below, no more delay."

* * *

Karina was extremely puzzled when she was retrieved from the quarters of the warriors that had been sharing/fighting over her, having no clue of the spectacle that had been put on minutes ago. Fear increased as she was dragged down the hall, to where Yukiko was waiting.

"Your new accomodations are ready." The woman informed her, and pressed a button on a hand-held remote, that revealed the outline of a door that Karina hadn't been able to see moments earlier.

Her heart was nearly beating out of her chest as she was escorted through, wondering what on earth could be waiting her on the other side. There was a stair-case first, and then what looked like a connecting room, with hallways leading in three directions. She was directed down one passage with prodding motions, and traveled several feet, before being jerked to a stop in front of another room.

She was started by the sheer size of it. There was barely enough light to get a clear view of it to the back, but there was enough to see the outline of bars close up. She looked around warily as she was walked by several empty holding areas.

One of them said something unintelligible to the other, and released his hold on Karina's arm, to address an electronic panal on the wall. He typed something into the pad to open the door, and that was when Karina realized the cell wasn't empty. The remaining man that had a grip on her other arm shoved her through the door, and it was electronically sealed behind them.

"You can thank your little friend when she comes around. You have her to blame for whatever comes of the two of you." One of them said snidely, as they both turned to leave.

Karina gasped out loud, and scrambled over to the motionless heap. "Jenna?" She cried anxiously, pulling the bound young woman onto her back. "Oh Jen, please...you have to be alright." She whispered then, probing her lightly for injuries.

It was apparent that she'd been bleeding, but the extent of anything was difficult to tell in this environment. Karina glanced around the cell swiftly. It _wasn't_ completely empty. There was a single mattress in the corner, in addition to a toilet and sink. It was obviously set up to serve as extended quarters for someone_, _and Karina hated to think how many women could have come through here before them.

Karina clenched her jaw somewhat as she pulled the young woman over to the mattress, and then went to work trying to get her nails into the difficult knot of the cords around her wrists. She'd nearly gotten through the worst of it, by the time that Jenna came around with a genuine start. She cried out at once, as if re-living something that had already happened. Then she was trembling so hard that it frightened Karina badly.

Karina sucked up her own courage for Jenna's sake. "Hold still Jen, it's okay. I'm going to get you loose."

Rather than calming down, the young woman simply began to cry, shaking even harder.

"Shh, it's going to be alright. I'm here." Karina tried to soothe her somehow.

"No," She sobbed. "It's not alright, it's not going to be either! They've got _Mike _Kari, and now they've drugged him, and it's all my fault!"

* * *

*** Pop Quiz - Who remembers why being drugged by conventional medication is a very bad thing for the turtles in my version of reality?**


	60. Proving

(Two Hours Later)

Donatello wandered into the Lab out of curiosity, just to see if Raphael was awake. He'd checked a few other times that day, but the red-banded turtle had been firmly knocked out between his physical injuries and different IV's that he was still receiving. It was just after 4pm now, and Donatello had spent almost every other second of that day tying up the loose ends on his new program, which they would be putting into effect a few hours from now.

His nerves had been increasing over the course of the day, as the usual anxious energy before a planned confrontation had been building in the back of his mind. This was his least favorite part before a mission - sitting around with nothing left to do but wait for darkness, and the appropriate hour to arrive.

This time when the purple-banded turtle walked into the room, he found Raphael already sitting up partially on one arm, The red-masked turtle gave him what was probably supposed to be an evil eye, but it was half-hearted,

"Where you been genius?"

"I'm sorry Raph. I was actually by a few times, when you were still out of it."

"Thought you might 'ave been avoiding me."

"No Raph, just getting finished up." Donatello replied. "I'm sure you know we're moving tonight."

"You ready for this?" His brother asked seriously.

"It won't be easy." Donatello acknowledged. "I can divert their security measures, but we still have no way of telling how many we'll be facing." He finished with a tinge of the same nerves in his tone that he was feeling on the inside. "We're going to miss you Raph."

"Darn right you are." The older turtle said crossly. "I'm just glad I won't have to be missing_ you_." He added pointedly.

The purple-banded turtle stared back at him placidly, now understanding the evil eye from before better. "You would have done the _same _thing for me if the roles were reversed Raph."

"It would have been different." He scowled.

"Yeah? How?"

"Donny, we need you too much." Raphael said gruffly.

"And we don't need you, is that you're inferring?"

"It's two entirely different kinds of 'needs'. How the shell are they supposed to get the others back without your help?"

"They pulled it off in Dayton not that long ago." Donatello reminded him.

"That was with some of your technology in place, and a ton of help from Mother Nature!" Raphael replied heatedly, and then tried to calm down slightly. "Aside from that, you still shouldn't have done it. All I wanna hear from you is that you won't try it again."

Donatello shook his head. "I can't say that Raph. I won't make a promise that I don't know I'll keep."

"Darn it Donny! When I have the energy, I _am_ gonna kick your shell!"

"I'll look forward to it Raph. In the meantime maybe you could just relax a little more so--"

Before he could finish the statement a series of tones interrupted him, coming from the bank of computers to his left.

"Oh shell." He barely said loud enough for Raphael to hear, as he dashed over to one of the monitors.

"What?" The red-masked turtle demanded. "What is that Donny? What's it for?"

The younger turtle didn't answer him right away, as he focused his attention on the program that was already open on the desktop. His entire body went rigid a few seconds later. "_No_." He said more loudly than before, but it was clear that he was still talking to himself.

"What's going on?"

"It's an alarm Raph, tied into the same monitoring software that gives us constant updates on everyone's vital status."

"Then that's a bad thing."

"Yeah..." The turtle answered faintly, right before darting back over to the door leading to the living area.

Luke and Marcus were fortunately in his line of vision from the doorway, and he swiftly motioned to them. "We've got a distress signal."

"Who Donny?" Luke was the first to ask, as they hurried back to the terminal together.

"Mikey." The purple-banded turtle answered tightly. "All of the stats are pointing to shock, but it's been a _rapid_ onset! Temperature started dropping like a rock, his oxygen levels are ridiculous, and..."

"Do you know what this looks like?" Luke said, his voice cutting through even though his tone was quiet.

"What Luke?" Marcus asked, while Donatello gave both men more room at the computer.

"It's extremely similar to the reaction that I studied the night I met all of you Donatello." Luke said grimly. "He's been sedated - I'd bet money on it."

* * *

Within fifteen minutes Leonardo had already contacted Takashi for the second time that day and moved up the time of their meeting, quoting his "spirits'" intolerance for waiting. Greg and Kat had left for the location on the harbor hours before, having had several things that needed to be prepared at the old Granary before the Akiudo would arrive.

When the task with Takashi was complete, Leonardo immediately had directed Donatello into the practice room, and was in the process of pushing him hard to be certain that he was physically up to the challenge. They started out hand to hand, but then moved on to the katana with Leonardo's insistence.

The two had worked out with single blades a number of times over the last few years and recent days, but now Donatello was nowhere near as controlled with the katana as he had been. He was actually making himself a rather easy target for Leonardo, the blue-banded turtle disarming him three times in the space of five minutes.

Brandon had been quietly standing by, waiting for his turn to speak. He caught the exasperated look the older turtle gave Donatello, as he reached to retrieve his weapon again.

"I'm never going to be able to match you with a katana Leo." The purple-banded turtle said with some exasperation of his own.

"My skill isn't the problem here Donny. I can tell what you're doing, and it isn't helping you. I know it's a lot easier to concentrate your energy on anger right now, but it's messing with your focus, and it's making you vulnerable. You can't go in against the Akiudo in this frame of mind. It might work for awhile, but something would get through, I guarantee it."

"I don't know if I can get that much control back. Anger is the only thing helping me hold everything together." The turtle answered honestly.

"Yes you can, and that's what we're going to sit here and do before we go any further."

"Leo, we don't have time--"

"For you to argue with me? No, we don't. I'm still deciding whether or not you're coming inside."

Brandon could tell the younger turtle desperately wanted to say something, but he forced his mouth shut, and dropped to the mat to satisfy him.

"Get quiet first, and whatever comes up, just let it. Breathe in, and hold it...now let it out. Repeat that a few more times for me."

Silent tears escaped from the closed turtle's eyes, and he felt Leonardo's hand resting on his shoulder.

"What's going through your mind this second?" Leonardo asked him.

"Mikey...and..."

"Jenna. You can say her name. I know this is killing you, but we have to move through it so you can get your focus back."

"I should have protected her. I should have--"

"Alright." Leonardo said, gently cutting him off. "We _both_ wish we could have been there to stop it Donny, but we can't change the past. All that conscious energy that you've been channeling into anger, I want you target in on calm. You know that it's possible to move past the realm of emotion - it's just not easy to do."

But the purple-banded turtle _was _determined to try. The two had forgotten that Brandon was even there by this point, as they spent a few minutes silently combating the negative distractions. Leonardo was the first to rise, and tapped his brother lightly on the shell.

"Again." He encouraged him.

Donatello got up a little more slowly, drawing his katana off the floor where it had been all this time as well. Leonardo raised one lone blade of his own, and held it in an on guard position until his younger brother was back on his feet. The blue-banded turtle made the first move toward him, smiling slightly when his brother seemed to sense where his supposed strike would be targeting.

Leonardo turned on heel, reversing the direction of his attack to try and intentionally throw him off. Donatello was only milliseconds behind him, and followed the assumed pattern that his brother had laid without any visible difficulty.

"_Good _Donny - you're feeling it. You've got to be able to sense the motion innately, you can't always count on being able to decipher it. Speed is key here, that's why it's so important for you to be able to follow your instincts." Leonardo told him, even while the motion of both katanas didn't cease.

The older turtle flashed into overdrive for a few moments, running through a couple of different scenerios to disarm his brother, but this time was unsuccessful. Donatello was still using the blade more for self-defense than attack, but it was a back-up Leonardo wanted him to have if he needed it.

"I want you to carry it bro, even though it's out of your comfort zone." Leonardo said, as he sheathed his one katana onto his back alongside the other.

Donatello nodded. "I ought go, I have a couple more things to do, and I need to talk to Heff."

"Go ahead, but hold onto the calm."

"I will Fearless."

When the purple-banded turtle had gone, Brandon finally ventured a step closer to where Leonardo was standing.

"I want to go with the two of you." He announced evenly. "I can fight Leonardo - I can help you."

"How many fights have you been in Brandon?" The blue-masked turtle asked not unkindly.

"Too many to have kept track."

"I'm talking about _outside_ a ring." The turtle clarified. "Outside of a referee and rules. How many?"

"With someone who really knew what they were doing?" The man faltered. "Well there was...um..."

"Fighting in real life is very different than sparring Brandon. I have absolutely no doubt that you can handle yourself, and if this was the run of the mill idiots we've seen a million times, I wouldn't even hesitate. But the men we're going up against are trained killers, not with guns, but with hands and weapons that take actual skill to use. You've trained for decades, but you haven't actually had real confrontation with an experienced assailant outside of the controlled element of the mat, have you?"

"It doesn't mean I can't do it."

"I realize that, but we already have four others to be concerned with, and the risk of needing to watch your back too would be a very real one." Leonardo said carefully.

"What do I have to do to prove I can handle it?" Brandon demanded. "Do I have to show you right here? Because I will if that's what you want."

"I won't go easy on you Brandon, because they won't either." He warned him.

"Then don't. I don't want to be pandered to anyway."

"Okay." Leonardo allowed, and then backed up slightly on the mat, while motioning for Brandon to join him.

The man had made up his mind to strike first, and came at the turtle without the least bit of hesitation. As he lunged into his personal space Leonardo side-stepped the maneuver, and caught the human up under both his legs. The move easily sent the man to his back, and Leonardo shook his head.

"Speed is only your ally when it's used correctly Brandon."

The man jumped to his feet as the turtle backed off, cursing himself as he did. _What an over-eager rookie mistake._

He felt all the more urge to prove himself now, and launched at Leonardo a second time. The blue-banded turtle allowed him to get in closer this time, and waited for a specific sign of vulnerability to manifest, before exploiting it. The turtle smoothly ducked and avoided a number of Brandon's own attempts, before the human's exposed chest became his own target.

Leonardo's foot struck about a quarter of the force he could have, the same amount of power they employed on street thugs to bring them down. On Brandon it only winded him slightly, and left him feeling frustrated.

"You said you wouldn't go easy on me," He panted. "But you're holding back."

"The one who strikes first isn't necessarily the one who wins Brandon. I'm trying to show you that in the real world, it's not about the _number_ of blows you can get off. All you need is the right one to finish it. I'm sure you know that it takes twice as much energy for you to swing at someone and miss, as it does when you actually make a connection with them. Be selective, and strike when you really think you can make it count.

Now get up, and stop throwing yourself at me like you've got something to prove. If you can't demonstrate that you're able to use your head and instincts interchangeably, you're not coming with us."

Brandon uprighted himself, and then took a few seconds to try and silence his pre-conceived state of mind. Leonardo was right - he was operating under some basic tendencies that worked in the ring, which no man in his right mind would adhere to in real life. He waited on the turtle this time, as if rooted to the mat itself. He was only standing for a couple of seconds, when he had to seriously back up to avoid a couple of shots from the turtle, right before taking a glancing shot to the chin that made him wince. If Leonardo had exerted true weight behind it, he would have been down for sure.

With a sharp exhale, Brandon steeled his posture and readied himself again, unconsciously allowing his mind to fixate on the turtle's rhythm this time. Leonardo's right arm snaked toward him, and the man moved to block the blow, instantly following it with a block from the left where he'd been expecting the turtle to follow up.

Leonardo nodded as the human bent out of range of his foot, and then blocked a secondary shot to the chest,

"That's right. You can't beat what you can't touch." Leonardo said. "You have the ability Brandon. You just have to get out of your own head, and into your opponants'."

"Don't turn me aside." Brandon said determinedly. "That's my sister in there. I can be your ally - I _know_ you're hurting for not having your other brothers."

"It does put us in a more difficult position." Leonardo admitted.

"Then let me_ fight_."


	61. Promise

Takashi was puzzled at first when Michelangelo didn't come back around from the sedative, only to then wonder if the creature could be pretending on him. Upon closer examination, he was only further bewildered, as the turtle was displaying physical symptoms that it would not have been possible for him to simply recreate. That something odd was going on with him had become extremely apparent.

Takashi decided to pay the other two women a visit a bit farther down the corridor, simply as a last-ditch effort. The black-haired one focused on him immediately with a peculiar combination of both rage and guilt, blue eyes narrowing at him as he approached their bars.

"How long have you know the Guardians?" The man asked of either of them.

Neither Jenna nor Karina answered, though they exchanged a wary look.

"You brought this upon yourself you know." Takashi pointed out.

"Yeah, I see how that works." Jenna snapped. "We showed up at our friend's home, and therefore you _had_ to kidnap us. Makes perfect sense."

"There is something wrong with Michelangelo." Takashi stated bluntly, as it was his true purpose for being there.

"Of course there is!" Jenna was the one to respond again. "One of your idiots drugged him!"

Takashi's brow furrowed in obvious confusion, and the girl merely shook her head at him.

"Do they_ look _human to you? Why would you assume that it would be safe to use your drugs on a physiology you know nothing about?" She demanded.

"You are saying that the sedative is responsible, but that does not make sense." Takashi answered. "I know that it has been used on them previously."

"In the open air!" She shot back. "Not injected straight into a vein. You can't see the difference?"

* * *

Takashi didn't linger downstairs very much longer, before going to track down his second on the main floor. When he found her, he pulled Yukiko aside for moment away from the others.

"We are going to have to increase the size of our strike team. I have only just gained some information that will require us to hold back from drugging the creatures." He told her.

"That's interesting timing Takashi-sama. Is it not possible this reaction is a feigned one?"

"The one downstairs is suffering Yukiko-san, in a way that is not possible to fake. The sedation had a negative impact on him, and I do not want to risk the same happening with the other two."

"You don't want them seriously injured, but you don't want them sedated either. How is this to be accomplished?"

"We will simply have to overwhelm them." He replied sternly. "I do not wish to kill them, not unless we have no other choice. How many had already been prepared for the meeting?"

"There would have been twenty, including the two of us."

"Double it, we'll take no chances tonight. That will leave another twenty here, as well as..." Takashi trailed off as he tried to remember how many were scheduled outside that night.

"Another seven on the grounds." Yukiko filled in.

"The turtle is certainly contained now, even if it weren't for his issues, and the others aren't going anywhere. I will leave Shirou to keep an eye on things, and that will be the end of it." Takashi added.

"What do you intend to _do _with those women Takashi-sama?" Yukiko asked curiously.

"Haruko is Shirou's business, and he can do as he pleases with her. I had considered allowing the men to keep the two, but I believe they may be too volatile. It would likely be safer to get rid of them entirely, after we have what we need from the turtles. Perhaps you would enjoy heading up their disappearance, the way you did our esteemed 'Bounty Hunter'."

"What Bounty Hunter?" She smirked.

* * *

Leonardo heard the knock at the front door, and moved that direction soon enough to see that they had more company. He sighed softly at the sight of Luke and Marcus assisting Timothy into the Den, and Victoria pulling up the rear.

"Tim. I told you not to try coming down here." The blue-masked turtle said reproachfully.

He groaned painfully as the two men got him to the couch, and met Leonardo's gaze steadily. "Broken pelvis or not, I couldn't stay away. I had to see you before you throw all caution to the wind."

Leonardo balanced on the edge of the coffee table, and forced himself to maintain eye contact with the man. "I'm so sorry about Calley. We were just supposed to keep her safe, and we didn't even do that."

"Leo...you saved her life. You guys went so far beyond what I ever could have asked or imagined. And you're risking everything to go after her, along with the others. I just wish I was in the position to do something myself."

"We'll find her Tim. We'll turn that place upside-down if we have to."

"I don't know what's been going on down here, but you need to know that you've made a difference. She was coming back, more and more it seemed every time I talked to her. I'll never be able to repay you for what you did for her, what all of you did."

The turtle looked at the ground for an instant, swiping a hand over both eyes to camouflage the fact that a tear was threatening. "It wasn't what I expected, not that I _knew_ what to expect. She...She's so much more than all this. I get that there's this stigma attached to drug users, and a lot of doubt on some peoples' part about whether or not they can change. I know it's not an overnight thing but...she's still a person.

When I think about the number of times that I've just skipped around an abuser on the surface without a second thought, it makes me sick. Not that it would have been safe to interact with them, but it doesn't mean we can't _care_. They've been lumped into this general category based on their addictions, and it's as if they cease to have value at all in society's eyes.

Why do we do that Tim? Why do we treat people like they don't matter, or write them off without giving them a real shot? There are those that don't want to change, that don't want to let go of that lifestyle. But my gut says there are a lot more like Calley that are dying to be free, and don't know how to get there."

Leonardo hadn't intended to say that much and felt a little awkward for it now, but couldn't help continuing. "I feel like my eyes have been opened to something that was there, and I just never saw it. I didn't realize how much I fed into that stigma in my own mind, until I met your daughter. It's so easy to judge people, when you honestly don't have a clue."

* * *

Donatello was back in his own quarters, finished things up with Greg over the phone.

"I know I didn't mention this before, but there's a distinct probability that all of your electronics may not be coming home with us Donny." Greg admitted ruefully.

"I don't care about the technology Heff. Just get _yourselves _back here, and I'll be more than happy. You've already got your escape route I assume."

"And a plan B, though I hope we don't have to use it. But the more guys that show up here, that will be the less you have to deal with."

"I guess I don't have to tell you how nervous that makes me feel for _you_." Donatello answered.

"They gotta be somewhere Donny. Better in an environment where we can distract and manipulate them, than leaving them on their own home turf." Greg pointed out. "Now, on the other matter--"

"We're definitely going through with it." Donatello spoke up at once. "You know we can't pass up the opportunity."

"So you and Leonardo are agreed on the other business?"

"That was the easy part. Finding the info we need might be another story, but we have to try. It might be the only chance some of the Akiudo's victims have."

"I have to agree with you too. Unfortunately, they're very good at covering their tracks, particularly if they've been compromised by something else. Did I tell you about the stunt they pulled in Okinawa, when the government was closing in on their operation after a decade?"

"I don't believe you mentioned."

"They blew the place up Donny. How's _that_ for not leaving a trace?"

The purple-banded turtle exhaled softly. "Was that supposed to make me feel better in any fashion?"

"Sorry. Just keep your eyes open though, seriously." Greg said sheepishly.

"_You_ keep your eyes open." Donatello emphasized. "And hold Kat back if you have to."

"Right, like I could?" The man snorted.

* * *

The hour was drawing closer, and everyone was winding up for their own duties. Victoria and April were remaining behind in the Den with Raphael and Timothy, while Luke and Marcus would be accompanying the others to the very brink, though the turtles wouldn't be letting them actually into the building. The doctors still needed to be present to receive Michelangelo from them immediately, and just in case the other girls were injured worse than their vitals were indicating. Brandon was coming to support the two turtles inside. As much as they weren't completely confident in the situation, they also couldn't deny that they'd probably need the help.

Now Leonardo and Donatello were both inside the Lab now, spending a couple more minutes with Raphael before they would have to leave entirely.

"You guys better be on your game." The red-banded turtle said gruffly, his irritation with being stuck in bed apparent. "I hope you know what you're doing, bringing a civilian in with ya."

"That 'civilian' managed to get a piece of you when you jumped him." Leonardo reminded him dryly. "He's got the skills Raph, even if he hasn't used them this way before."

"I went easy on him Leo." Raphael said with a huff. "He wouldn't have gotten near me otherwise. All I'm saying is, you might end up having to babysit."

Leonardo held up his hands a little helplessly. "He's more suited to assist us physically than anyone else is."

"I'm not trying to talk you out of it Fearless. I know when you make up your mind, you make up your mind." Raphael said a little more seriously, and then gave them both an almost pleading look. "Hurry up and get to the chucklehead okay? I can't stand the thought of those idiots hurting him worse."

April stuck her head in the door before either of them could respond. "Donny, there's something happening with the picture. It's getting all fuzzy again."

The woman had been set up with one of his laptops, where Donatello had already worked his way inside of the camera feed that broad-casted the limited angles available from the grounds of the building. She would be keeping an eye on the outside, while they made their attempt from underground. As Donatello started to turn toward her, Raphael called him back.

"Hey, Genius."

He glanced over his shoulder questioningly. "Yeah Raph?"

"Thanks." The red-banded turtle said a little begrudgingly, and made him smile a little in spite of himself.

"Anytime for you Raph."

After he'd left, Raphael noticed that Leonardo's countenance had taken on a different tone.

"Raph, about before...the stuff with Calley..." He trailed off for a minute.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me Leo."

"But I want to. I didn't plan it, I _sure _wasn't ready for it...But something was happening Raph, that I still don't actually understand. Despite the timing, the um...baggage...part of me feels like I can't even help it. We came so close...there was almost a connection, but she pulled back. I don't know how it even got that far. I know I shouldn't have let it."

"Leo, not all chicks are as hard to grasp as I once thought they were. Calley's got a thing for you, all of us see that. Now there are a hundred reasons she might have hesitated, and I hope you won't write her off completely because of it."

"I would never write her off Raph. But it's not the right time, and probably not the right thing as far as she's concerned. That being the case, I need to focus on the real issue at hand, which is getting all of them out safely."

Raphael released an anxious breath. "Please do what you have to Fearless."

The blue-banded turtle nodded resolutely. "Karina's coming home Raph, I promise you."


	62. Moving

Shirou was not happy with the prospect of being left behind that night. "Is this still some form of punishment?" he asked Takashi imploringly.

"It is strategy, _sochi_. I regret to remind you that you've achieved neither the balance nor the ability to overcome Yukiko. The day that you accomplish that, you will be my second. Until then, you must accept the assignments without complaint," Takashi answered him coolly.

The young warrior had retreated to his own quarters after that, not wanting to be present when the others were leaving. Guards were firmly in place outside, plus at key points inside the structure itself. There was no purpose in having him here - it was babysitting duty, pure and simple.

The sight of Calley warmed him however slightly. _Not all baby-sitting has to be boring_, he reasoned with himself, as he drew her chin up to face him.

"Do you know, I still remember the first time that I saw you," he said thoughtfully. "How eager those Dagos were to make a deal with us. They probably would have paid us to take you off their hands if we'd asked for it. Why those 'Guardians' would waste a second glance on you is beyond my understanding. There is nothing left of you except wasted space.

"As much as I've enjoyed catching up, I have to admit I was getting tired of you anyway. Even had you not run away, I have been craving something more_ substantial_. Perhaps I'll be able to talk my father into not being rid of those friends of yours. I wager even the feisty one would succumb under pressure, if the right substance were introduced," the warrior finished pointedly, and Calley's brown eyes instantly went wider.

"Don't you _dare_. You're in over your head, Shirou. Touch that girl, and you'll end up wishing you were dead," she proclaimed with such sudden vehemence that Shirou was surprised.

"Do you honestly believe I will answer to you?" he asked with a hint of amusement.

"It's not me you'll have to deal with, but something much worse," she warned him.

"Really?" the warrior asked skeptically. "And what might that be sureibu?"

"His name is Donatello."

* * *

Said turtle was at that moment taking a phone call from April, who was updating him on the situation out by the gate of the complex.

"Have you seen much movement on their part?" Donatello asked.

"I'd say so. There's a caravan just starting to depart; I stopped trying to count all of them."

"Well that's sort of what we wanted, but I really hope Kat and Heff know what they're doing."

"How close are you to being in position?"

Donatello shifted his earpiece slightly, and clicked a button on his scanner to check their progress in the darkness of the tunnel once more.

"We're underneath them as I speak, moving steadily toward their signals. Jen and Karina are together, and Mike's in the same vicinity. I've seen a number of devices down here that are most likely motion activated, but the patch is doing its job, right?"

"The signal is scrambled Donny - it's safe to say you're not giving yourselves away. How long are you going to wait down there before making a real move?"

"Not long. We're just searching for a conveniently located access point, something near the others so that we can get them out pronto," Donatello answered. "I need to go, but keep us updated on what you see outside, and let me know if any strange signals come across from the security net."

He clicked off with the woman, and then nodded his head at the others to start walking again. The two turtles led the way down the passage, steadily gaining ground on the section of the basement where they knew the others were being held. The men had been silent for the last several minutes, the nerves of all three increasing with the closer they got to where they were going.

They were almost on top of Michelangelo's individual signal, when Donatello turned his attention to a particular grating above them. He tried moving it experimentally, not surprised when the fixture didn't budge.

"That's what I thought," he said out loud, though he was talking to himself. "They wouldn't make it that easy for someone to escape."

"What's the plan here then?" Brandon asked. "If we can't use it-"

"Oh, we're going to use it, Brandon; it just takes a little more work. I brought the right tools with me, give me just a second here." Donatello retrieved a thin scope from his bag, then carefully fed the view finder through the grating.

He made a cautious sweep of the perimeter, finding a sign of his younger brother, but no one else in the room.

"I'd wager there are guards down here somewhere, but no one's physically in the room with him. What I'd like to do is have you docs keep an eye on that door, and I'm going to backtrack to put a little more space between outside bodies and the work I need to do," Donatello announced softly.

He left his scope in their hands, while he, Leonardo, and Brandon reversed their direction a short ways to another grating they'd passed that was part of the same room, but closer to the back of it.

Donatello sifted through what was a larger bag of supplies that he'd along with them, then glanced up at the other two for a moment. "You'll want to keep some distance from me. It's going to get a little hot over here."

The turtle only took the time to slip on some small protective gear of his own, and adjusted the setting on his torch. Before taking the tool against the bars, he threw another glance over at Leonardo.

"Keep an open line with the docs, I need to know right away if someone ends up coming in," he urged him.

The purple-banded turtle worked as quickly as he could, heart beating faster with each extended blast of the torch that he was forced to use, praying that no one would interrupt the process. What felt like it was taking an hour, actually took a little over fifteen minutes to burn through enough of the bars to weaken the piece.

"Leo, c'mere," he called his brother, and handed off the torch to him, so that he could yank free the remnants of the grating with his gloves.

"Nice Don," the blue-masked turtle told him.

"We need to get the docs back over here to wait for us, and then I say it's time to do this, Fearless."

* * *

The two turtles climbed up first, and Brandon followed behind with the smallest amount of trepidation. Yeah, he was afraid, though he wouldn't have admitted it openly. Even so, there was something about having the turtles alongside him that made him feel a little more confident. They were truly experienced in this after all.

They made a bee-line for the holding area where Donatello's scope had located Michelangelo, and the turtle fingered the bars with a sharp breath, searching for the mechanism that would open them.

"I don't see anywhere for a key. It must be controlled by some other means that..." Donatello cut off mid-sentence, as his gaze shifted to the wall.

"By what Donny?" Leonardo spoke up.

"Electronically," the purple-banded turtle filled in, and abandoned the cell entirely in favor of the panel on the wall.

He felt around the piece for a moment, before pulling open the key-pad.

"Are there any identifying numbers? Do you guys see anything that stands out that way?" he called to them.

Leonardo and Brandon both started searching, but it was the human who located the label first.

"It says 151. Does that mean something to you?"

"I think it must be a corresponding code, something that will activate the individual door," Donatello replied. "Would one of you c'mere, just hold my light for me?"

Brandon responded at once, and trained the flashlight onto the panel for Donatello so that he could start on the wiring with both hands. While he worked his way through the inside of the mechanism, he took mental notes of the process, realizing he'd probably have to do it again to free the girls. When he'd made the proper adjustment, he didn't bother replacing the facing, simply held the cover up slightly so that he could enter the number of the cell in.

Leonardo was a little startled when the bars moved under his grasp, letting go with a jolt as the door released. Then he swiftly moved inside without hesitation, dropping to the ground beside his youngest brother. Donatello was at his side in what seemed to be less than a second later, with epi-pen already in hand.

"Tell me this will work," Leonardo requested of him.

"In theory," he replied. "He'll need a full course of medication to purge it. I'm just hoping this initial dose will help his body hold out long enough, until we can get him back on real support in the Lab."

Leonardo gripped his unconscious brother's hand tightly while Donatello injected him. "He feels so cold," the turtle murmured before he could stop himself, and then rested his other hand under his youngest brother's bruised chin. "We got this far though...You're going to make it, you have to."

Donatello searched his brother carefully for the possibility of broken bones, so they would be able to move him safer.

"How does he look to you Donny?"

"Aside from the obvious, he's had worse. He looks a lot better injury wise than I expected, what with being stuck with these idiots. I'm not feeling anything that's broken, let's just get him to the docs."

* * *

After releasing Michelangelo to Luke and Marcus underground, they turned their attention to the door leading to the hallway. Donatello tried it experimentally and found it locked to no surprise.

"We probably don't want to risk breaking it down as far as attention goes," Donatello said aloud. "Picking it from the inside is a little more tricky, but-"

"Hang on Donny," Leonardo said suddenly. "Maybe this is our chance to figure out what we're even dealing with down here. You feel like being bait?"

"I'm up for anything Leo. What's the plan?"

* * *

Two warrior/guards were polishing off the remnants of their dinner, when the sound of a ruckus from down the hall caused both of them to instantly leap to their feet. As they stood unmoving for a moment, the thudding repeated somewhat louder.

"Should we call upstairs?" one of them wondered before taking a step.

"For what Ken'ichi? Everyone is contained, there has to be a logical explanation. I've heard all kinds of noises in these basement," Juro scoffed.

"I've never heard the basement sound like_ that_. What if it's that turtle? What if Takashi's right about him, and now-"

"Now you think he's come back around to feast on our blood? You've seen too many movies."

"Something is going on here," Ken'ichi shot back. "You go and have a look then, I want nothing to do with him."

The warrior chuckled as he unlocked the door, and stepped inside the room. "Yes, the temperature is surely dropping Ken'ichi - a sure sign that we are not alone," he finished mockingly.

"That isn't funny."

"Be a man, and come see for yourself. I can hold your hand if you really need me to."

The other glared at him, but did end up coming into the room himself. The power of suggestion _did_ make the room feel colder than it should have, yet he walked toward the back with head held high regardless. Sure enough, the turtles' outline was exactly where it had been left, where he hadn't so much as been disturbed from in hours.

"Should we check if it's alive?" Ken'ichi asked.

"Who cares? He's as good as dead anyway. We're not here to nurse the thing, just to make sure nothing gets in or out."

"Then you're not doing your job very well," a calm voice intoned from inside the cell, startling both men severely.

"Did he just-" Juro never got to finish the question, as the hilt of one of Leonardo's katana crashed into the back of his head.

The other had hardly enough time to get turned back around, and into perfect position to receive Brandon's punch.

"Sorry I hesitated," Brandon said immediately.

"Feels a little different to do it for real, huh?" Leonardo suggested, as he yanked back open the cell door that had been blocked from closing the last inch or so.

"A little different," the man acknowledged, as Donatello sprang back to his feet to join the two of them.

"Let's get them out of the way, and go after the girls already," the purple-banded turtle said impatiently.


	63. Honor

Calley had been surprised at first when Shirou released her wrists from the cords that had left them raw, but then quickly become more nervous than she'd been yet before. For several seconds he had simply stared at her, as if searching some matter out in his own mind, before drawing the tanto from his side. He laid the blade flat on the mattress beside the young woman, allowing the smallest trace of a smile to appear, although the voice that followed it was serious.

"I have considered a certain matter hard over the last few minutes, and come to what may be an unexpected conclusion for you Haruko. A man by my age and birthright, I ought already be second under my father's command. Yet certain choices I've made and a deemed 'imbalance' has reduced me to waiting, to striving underneath others yet. If I'm to achieve the proper condition that my father expects of me, I must put more thought into my decisions - and I've made one concerning you.

I promised that you would die, and I mean to uphold my word. But I am offering you a rare option I've never extended, to perform the action yourself. In days of old the so-called 'honor suicide' was reserved for the Samurai alone, but in times after, it was sometimes even instated as a form of capital punishment. You may call it my own form of mercy toward you. I'm giving you the chance to muster all the boldness that may yet redeem the worthless life you've lived.

That said, if you're incapable of performing the task, I will most assuredly do it for you. To you I grant this choice Haruko, the one I have never even offered another living soul. You will have one hour to decide for yourself. I will leave you to consider, and will return at that appropriate time." The young man finished the chilling speech with another appraising glance. "I know that you desired to carry it out before - be strong sureibu. To take your life in your own hands is a better end by far than how you would end at mine."

Calley sat up against the wall at the head of the mattress as the warrior left her, reeling with the proposition that he'd just made. Her glance fell upon the tanto, and then instantly turned away. The woman shut her eyes as she rocked slightly back and forth, trying to reason the best course of action in her head.

In many ways, dying would be so much simplier than attempting to live the rest of her life, trying to pretend she could fit inside of normal society again.

_**But you weren't pretending with the turtles**_, an insistent voice in the back of her mind said.

_Yes, _she answered herself, _But they're likely the only ones that could ever tolerate my position. Even my father, I don't know if he could live with what I've become, more of a monster than a person. Shirou's going to kill me himself if I don't do it. At least this way I might not have to suffer as much, and I'd get to retain some control in the matter. I can finish the descent that I began, and it will finally be the end of it._

_**But you don't actually believe what he spoke about 'honor', **_the voice inside countered_. __**You're scared and you're looking for a way out, because you don't think that you can make a lasting change in your life.**_

_It doesn't matter what I'm capable of salvaging anymore. The man is going to kill me. Why shouldn't I take his offer, and end it without further suspense?_

With that thought, her fingers actually found their way to the gilded hilt of the blade, grasping it slightly in her right hand, though she hadn't willed herself to raise it.

_What good reason is there for me to put off the inevitable, when death already stares me in the face? _She demanded of the unseen inner voice with irritation.

_**Because the act that you are considering is not a matter of strength **_**or**_** honor. It is an escape, that's all it's ever been as far as you're concerned. Down deep, you don't really want to do it at all.**_

_But I _do_ want this, _she was forced to admit to herself. _I want to be free, and by now this seems the only way how. If I can't be free of this addiction, free to love..._she faltered for a moment. _Who in their right mind would want to live under these conditions?_

_**You do, or this wouldn't be such an ordeal for you. You would have done it already.**_

_It doesn't mean that I can't, or that I won't._

Calley started to lift the tanto, only to drop it again as if the weapon weighed fifty pounds.

_But why is there such hesitation inside of me? It should be an easy choice. Two versions of death have been offered, and I have the chance to choose the one that will certainly allow less suffering. Why can't I just decide and be done?_

* * *

The three figures moved like ghosts through the darkened connecting passage, having followed the womens' signals to a room that was a few paces away from the one that Michelangelo had been held in. Donatello tried a couple different keys off the ring he's taken from one of the other men, until he found the one he needed to get it open. His hands actually shook a little as he unlocked it in anticipation, and they hurried inside.

Karina sat up from the floor when she heard the echo from the door, scrambling flat against the wall as she then heard the approaching footsteps, and saw shadows in the dim lighting.

"Karina?" What was a familiar but utterly unexpected voice called her name, before the speaker was in her true line of vision.

She pressed only further against the wall with a sense of shock, which didn't allow her to immediately believe that the sound she heard with her ears could actually be real. Jenna glanced over her own shoulder warily as the man approached their bars, with a louder note of hope conveyed in his tone.

"Kari!"

"_Brandon_!"

Unbelief turned to instant tears as the woman forced her way upright, and ran across the cell to meet her older brother. She snatched for his hand as it reached through the bars toward her, as much to convince herself that he was actually there.

"How did you get here? How did you find us?" She asked through tears.

"I'm not alone." He told her with a half grin, jerking his head back toward the wall on the right of him. "Donny, the number is 230." He called to one of the other figures.

"Gotcha." The returning voice is what got Jenna to her own feet, as it continued by addressing them this time. "Girls, hang on! We'll have you out in just a minute!"

"Donny! Did you find Mike, is he..." The raven-haired girl didn't have the heart to finish, but then didn't have to as the door to their cell automatically opened.

Brandon gathered his sister in his arms as the purple-banded turtle bounded past him, and pulled Jenna off the ground in a fierce embrace of his own.

"Did you get Mike already?" She asked with a slight tremble.

"Yes Jen, he's with the docs. His situation is a little bit complicated."

"I know, I was with him when they sedated him. I tried to escape, got him out on my own. It would have been fine, _he _would have fine if it wasn't for me!"

"Jenna, he's not gone." The turtle said firmly. "We have the antidote, it's just a matter of getting him to a safe place, where it can actually do its' work. Are you alright, did any of those scum touch you?"

"Not really, though they acted like they were_ going _to. Didn't hurt me until we tried to get away."

Donatello pushed back black hair from her forehead under the beam of his flashlight, the sight of her own bruises enraging him. But something in her light blue gaze at that moment countered the anger, made it easier to control. He pulled her closer again, and she wrapped both arms around his neck as they kissed, only slightly startling the man that was standing a couple of feet away.

Then Donatello tugged her lightly in Brandon's direction, clearing his throat with a small smile. "Jen, this is the famous Brandon. And this is my wife, Jenna." He announced simply.

"Okay." Brandon said evenly with a nod, then stepped to one side as Leonardo moved to greet the young women himself.

"Hey sis, it's good to see you." He told Jenna, before offering an arm to Karina too. "I think we've lingered here long enough, we should probably get moving. I don't suppose either of you know what they've done with Calley? Is she somewhere down her too?" Leonardo asked them.

"No," Karina spoke up first. "I've heard them talk about her. She's with that one man, the guy who 'owned' her before, he keeps her in his own quarters. That's upstairs where the rest of us were, until..."

"Until my ill-fated escape attempt." Jenna filled in. "I couldn't tell you much about where we were, except that they called it the south-west corridor. I think that's where most of the actual living space is."

"Let's not waste any time." Leonardo said briskly. "We'll get you two to the exit, and then we'll concentrate on finding her."

As they ushered the girls back out to the hallway, Karina reached once for Donatello's arm.

"When they brought me down here, one of them had to use a remote of some kind to get the door open."

"Like this?" Donatello asked, holding up the device he'd taken off the same warrior who had the keys.

"The very thing." She said with surprise.

"It looked important." He told her.

"If you guys keep going back up the hallway, it will get you to a connecting portion, where there's a set of stairs. If you go up, it takes you to the first floor. I don't know how the remote works, but I'm sure you'll figure it out." Karina said, voice faltering as she hesitated before continuing. "Donny, what about Raph? Jenna says one of the men insinuated they'd done something to him."

"He lived Kari, but it was really close." The turtle admitted. "He's in a stable place now, though it about killed him not to be able to come with us."

Both women let out a simultaneous breath together, and Brandon noticed the tears in Karina's eyes, though he held back from saying anything about them.

They accompanied the women back into Mike's original room, to the access grating where the docs were standing by.

"Hey." Jenna said a little sharply before Donatello moved to lift her down to them. "Hurry up, okay? I can't take anymore drama."

"We'll do our best Jen, but there's something else we have to do too, besides finding Calley." He admitted to her.

"Just _hurry_." She repeated.

When both girls were safely in the darkness of the sewer below, Leonardo waved for Brandon to follow them.

"You can go ahead, we just have some things to finish up."

"That wasn't the deal." Brandon replied firmly. "I said I was here to assist, so whatever's left to accomplish, I'm in. Let's do this already."


	64. Delving

Donatello performed a quick diagnostic on the remote by connecting it with his hand-held scanner, hacking into the memory of the device so that he could retrieve the code for the door from the last key strokes. He mentally repeated the numbers in his mind as Leonardo led the way back out of the room, and Brandon wordlessly brought up the rear. They picked up the pace when they hit the hallway into a flat-out run, and had just arrived in the connecting portion when Donny's earpiece went off. Greg.

"Is this a bad time?" The man asked.

"Nearly, but not quite. We've recovered Mikey, Jen, and Karina, but we still need to find Calley, and finish our other piece of business." He answered.

"Well, they've started gathering early on this end like we thought they would. Everything is in place already, I'm going to assume we should still wait until the appointed hour to do anything."

"Absolutely Heff, stall 'em as long as you can." Donatello replied. "We're about to become a lot more vulnerable on this end, so I kind of need to go."

"By all means Don, and watch your shells, alright?" Greg urged him.

"You watch _your_ backs, I can't help feeling like you're in worse danger than we are."

Donatello clicked off with him a few seconds later, and Leonardo pointed him to go ahead of him up the stairs, so he could work his magic with the remote. All three held their breath when the door responded, and cautiously entered the more brightly lit hallway.

"Okay." Donatello said softly when it was clear no one was immediately in sight. "According to the blueprints...April said we need to travel west of here, so if we take a left...It should get us the direction that we need to go. The installation records from Anderson led me to believe that the main source of their fiber optics is located in the same direction, though I'm betting we'll run into it before we get to the quadrant we're actually shooting for."

"I'm confused." Brandon said quietly, as they made their way in the direction that Donatello had indicated. "What's this other matter you keep going on about?"

"The Akiudo are slavers by trade Brandon." Leonardo told him. "They cover their tracks extremely well, but we're hoping that there still might be some kind of evidence in their system regarding what they've done with the other women they've kidnapped and sold. It could lead us to their contacts at the very least. We just can't leave here without trying to find a trace of them."

Brandon paused in his stride for a couple of seconds, and shook his head at the turtle. "You're something else, you know that? I don't know why I'm even surprised."

* * *

It felt more quiet than the turtles could have hoped for, as they made their way closer to the section of the building that they actually needed without serious issues. They came across a pair of warriors, follower by another loner a couple of minutes later, but swiftly dealt with them before an alarm could be raised.

Donatello's attention had been drawn to the ceiling more than once, by what looked like a technical installation box of some kind. It struck him as odd, because he knew it definitely hadn't been put there by Anderson. After noticing a couple of them, he started keeping an eye out for more, noting them at regular intervals. Nothing immediately stood out about them, except for the fact that he didn't know what they could be for.

As they drew up on another room that had a large cut-out window, Leonardo managed an unobstrusive glance inside, far enough to get a glimpse of a bank of computer screens.

"Donny." He hissed through his teeth. "I think we've got something here."

The purple-banded turtle took a careful glance of his own. "We could go after Calley first, double-back here after?" He suggested.

Leonardo shook his head. "No, it's quiet right now, and it might not be later. You just have to copy the hard-drive, right?"

"Yeah, but it'll still take a little time." Donatello reminded him.

"I understand, but God only knows if we'll get another clear shot at it before this is over. I don't want to split up, so I say do it now, get it over with."

Donatello nodded his agreement, and Leonardo found that the doorknob would turn under his hand. The door opened with a small squeal of protest, and he was greeted by the sound of upbeat techno, and the sight of a man with his back to him, tapping a pencil on the desk in time with the music.

The man seemed about to rise as the blue-banded turtle entered the room, and Leonardo caught the desk-chair firmly to keep him from going any further. The warrior glanced over his shoulder with a sputter of surprise, and Donatello quickly closed the blinds on the window to the hall, while he dispatched the man as mercifully as he could manage.

"We'll keep watch Donny." Leonardo told him. "Just get it done."

The purple-banded turtle took a seat behind the terminal that the man had been using, and swiftly felt around for an access port on the CPU. He dug his own specially designed flash-drive out of his bag, and plugged it into the tower so that he could begin the process of copying the desktop's contents.

* * *

Greg and Katherine were waiting with baited breath inside of the Granary, positioned on the top floor very close to the roof, with close access to the escape route they'd made certain was in place even before the other fixtures they brought with them were put into position. There was actually a fair amount of technology planted throughout the building now, including the tiniest of cameras that would give them an instant feed of not only the perimeter, but also of the main floor where the others would be entering from.

A couple of other well-placed tools had been prepared as well, that would only serve to further the charade they were trying to continue, in hopes of stalling for the longest amount of time possible. As zero hour approached Greg was monitoring several different camera angles on the laptop, as Katherine checked the status of her hand-gun for the fifth time, not that she expected to be using it.

"It's hard to walk away, isn't it?" Greg asked her, without looking up from the screen.

"Doesn't really feel like I _am, _does it?" She said ironically. "We've got to make this convincing partner. Are you sure you're up for this?"

He did glance over at her then. "I've done my homework James. Trust me, we can make this work. We have to."

* * *

The larger portion of the men had been left outside of the building for the moment to await further command, while yet others had taken up various positions inside the Granary, where they thought they were out of sight. Takashi and Yukiko wandered into the center of the old factory, with only their flashlights to light the dead space. There they waited for word that the turtles had come, having left instructions for them not to be hindered from entering the building if they were seen.

The set time for the meeting had officially come, and now they waited even more on edge for some sign of their impending guests.

"Sure brought enough thugs with them." Greg muttered from the computer. "Are you with me James?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." She answered.

Greg reached for a cell phone, the same one that they'd found left behind in the Brownstone, and made the important phone call to Takashi.

He made certain that the voice modulator was set, and held his breath for only an instant, before plunging ahead when Takashi answered the phone.

"We had an _agreement _son of Man." A voice that sounded eerily nothing like his greeted the Asian man. "You have broken your word and dishonored your own soul for the last time. There will be no negotiations here this night between us."

"Will you not tell me who you are?" Takashi asked, non-plussed by his anger.

"It is not only I, but _we_ who you must face for penalty this time. You must answer for the blood on your hands, and the lives that stand in chains."

"But do you not see how futile it is for us to fight?" Takashi responded. "There are things that we could work out, if you would but show yourself to me."

Greg typed a command rapidly into the laptop, to activate the vibration sensors downstairs that had been set to full capacity. He couldn't resist a smile when the camera feed caught the reaction of several warriors in hiding when the floor literally vibrated beneath their feet, as if in response to Takashi's question. It was also the first time that Yukiko truly faltered with a tinge of fear of her own.

Takashi himself was only further intrigued. He walked a circle around the center of the building, eyes wide open for whatever might be lurking in the darkness. "What do you hope to gain by this? If there can be no reasoning, then what happens now?" He asked over the cell-phone once more.

The voice answered out of the void this time, disregarding the cell-phone entirely. Greg raised the volume of the modulator to what was nearly a deafening level, so that all those below would be sure to hear it. "You bring judgement upon yourself son of Man, and all those who stand with you. A curse has been hunting you for years, though you would not see it. I was there when your world nearly fell apart in Okinawa - I heard the screams of those you sacrificed in destroying the evidence of your shame. You should be pleading for mercy at this moment, not standing in a twisted state of self-righteousness. Or do you believe you will not be held accountable for your actions?"

Men were shifting uncomfortably below, only stiffening further when the strange vibration beneath their feet repeated a second time.

"Then_ show _yourselves to me." Takashi called aloud. "Why do you hold back yet? My grandfather--"

"Your grandfather hangs his head in shame at the thought of you son of Man. You've earned no such honor as he, nor the right to even address us. Before we are finished, you will have a clear understanding of that. You have a few minutes to consider your ways hard, and then you are going to have to bring answer to _me_."


	65. Alarm

"Holy _shell_!"

Donatello's sudden outburst both surprised and concerned Leonardo and Brandon at the same time.

"What Donny, what?!" The blue-masked turtle demanded after a couple of seconds had passed. "You can't say something like that and not explain it!"

"If these records are actually current, they've got victims on the premises right _now_ Leo!" Donatello answered. "Downstairs, east of where the others were being held."

"How many are we talking about Donny?" Leonardo asked, as he rapidly tried to determine the next course of action in his mind.

"More than a dozen...I've found some communication here, it seems to indicate there was going to be a meeting of buyers about three days from now. How are we going to handle this Leo? Do we want to try and get them out ourselves, or should we bring the cops directly down on them?"

"We need to get the cops involved regardless. Whether we physically remove them ourselves or not will have to depend on how much control we can gain over the facility. How's the copying coming?"

"97% complete, and it still needs to compress some of the data." Donatello replied. "I probably need another six minutes or so."

The words had no sooner left his mouth, when someone tried the doorknob on the other side of the hall. They'd locked it behind them of course, but there was nothing to stop the individual from using a key if he had one. The man simply didn't understand why he should have to.

"Come on Ayumu! We had a deal for trading times, remember? Now open up!" The warrior demanded.

"Stay with your work Donny, we'll handle this. Brandon, hit that switch will you?" Leonardo motioned to the wall, and the man quickly turned the light off.

They heard indistinct muttering on the other side of the door, and what sounded like another person responding to it. It was followed by the click of the door being unlocked, and then swinging inward, coming very close to hitting Brandon from where he was poised.

"Ayumu, what's wrong with you?" The first man by the door asked of the figure slouching in the desk chair, that he couldn't actually see well from where he was standing. "Why are you sitting in the dark?"

As another man shouldered in behind him, Leonardo spoke up evenly in response.

"Because we like our privacy."

The speaker's radio was in his hand in a flash, but the blue-banded turtle wasn't going to give him the chance to use it. He lunged at the man and knocked the communicator from his grasp with a painful twist of the wrist. Brandon stepped out from behind the door and met the other man with a sharp kick to the chest, and followed with a secondary strike to his head. He smiled in spite of himself as he watched Leonardo take out a third who'd just barely crossed the threshold of the door.

"They're starting to pile up on us." The man said casually, as Leonardo dragged two of them over into the corner at once.

"Bad guys have a habit of reproducing - it's not a pretty sight." The blue-banded turtle replied. "Bring your guy over here Brandon. Donny, where are we at?"

"Just a couple more minutes Leo, I swear!"

* * *

Calley's breath was coming in soft gasps, as she continued trying to talk herself into what she felt was the best course of action for her to take. She would have given anything for the chance to talk with her father or the others, the chance to explain why she had to do it. But they would never know the difference either way, they would just as easily assume that the Akiudo had done it.

Regret was coming in droves now, as her thoughts returned to Michelangelo, Jenna, and Karina. She inwardly prayed that the turtles would be able to rescue them in time, before the Akiudo did any lasting damage to any of them.

She'd been holding the tanto for the last several minutes now, but had yet to do anything more with it. The mere act of picking it up was a feeling of surrender. _Maybe it's easier to think about it that way_, she reasoned. _Surrendering to the inevitable, like giving in to the enemy when they've already won. It's nothing but a formality now, finishing what's already been started._

She rested her head wearily against the wall as the faces of friends new and old ran through her mind, finally settling on the one woman she'd been avoiding thinking about as much as she could. But now that it was coming to the end, it made her feel like she had unfinished business to complete with her.

With eyes closed she pictured her mother the last time that she'd seen her, the very best that she could remember. Anger flashed through her mind even as the image was conjured, and she had to breathe deeply to steady the emotion.

_I won't go down with you still hanging over my head_, she thought fiercely. _If the only way to be free of you is to forgive you...then I have to at least try. You're not worth this, not worth the turmoil that I've lived and breathed under for years because of you. I don't know if you still love me, I don't know if you _ever_ really loved me, but I still did despite everything. Part of me deep down even feels a little sorry for you, because you were so blind to what you had in my father. I don't know what happened to make you like this. You're messed up, you have serious issues - that's a feeling I can understand at least. I don't know how to forgive you, but I do. Leonardo said it's not an emotion, and I have to accept that. I don't know if I ever could have gotten over what you did completely, but I can't hate you anymore, especially now. I refuse to die in this state of mind._

* * *

The turtles and Brandon were only just getting ready to start moving again, when what sounded like an alarm began blaring outside the door, and echoed through the hallway of the complex. Leonardo led the way out with a sense of exasperation, and looked left and right quickly.

"I take it this isn't a fire drill." Brandon said dryly.

Leonardo shook his head. "They must have found one of the others that we already ran into. There's nothing left to do but keep moving. Don't hesitate for anything now Brandon, these men will sooner gut you than look at you." He warned him firmly.

They ran in the direction of the southwest quadrant, with no clue as to whether they were running from men, or directly into them. What they weren't doing was leaving without Calley in hand. They didn't have to run far, before coming face to face with five katana wielding warriors. Without spoken word Leonardo drew both swords, and grimly held his position in the hall.

Time suspended for a moment before the clash ensued, and the blue-banded turtle whipped into the elegant frenzy that was both his katana working seamlessly together. Brandon found himself merely gaping for a moment at the turtle, as Donatello yanked him by the shoulder to draw his attention to _another_ group that was running toward them from the opposite direction.

Donatello's immediate thought was to draw them off so that Leonardo could focus on the swordsmen, and on finding a way to grant them more room to move around. The cramped quarters of the hall would only give the men further advantage, as it would hamper their own ability to fight.

The purple-masked turtle turned and kicked down a door with sudden voracity, then pulled Brandon into the room with him. He wasn't about to let the human out of his sight for a single second. "Try and stay close to me." He told the man under his breath, as a circle of men from the hallway closed in on the two.

"I _don't _think that will be a problem." Brandon returned, backing slowly against the turtle's shell as the warriors faced them down.

"This is real Brandon, don't forget that." Donatello finished, drawing his bo staff with lightning speed to meet the first two men coming at him. He didn't have time to keep both eyes on Brandon and the men in front of him - he just had to hope that the man would be able to stand remotely on his own two feet.

Brandon maintained his ready position for a couple of seconds, until someone struck out at him with one fist after another. He used every ounce of speed that had been ingrained deeply inside of him to avoid the blows, letting them merely fill the air around him as he ducked the first and second series of the attack. He could hear the whistle of Donatello's bo through the air, though he wasn't actually distracted by it. He'd come past the point of distraction now, as the entirety of his mind focused on the flowing movement of avoiding and blocking, and finally, his own attack.

In the hall Leonardo had been forced to cut down those in his path who had no interest in surrender. Both blades moved as if they were an extension of his body, and not cold weapons of steel that he only grasped in his hands. Leonardo was wholly aware of his actions, but at the same time almost felt like he'd stepped outside of his own body as the fight continued, and his own fervor increased.

He couldn't see Donatello or Brandon, but had to trust that they were taking care of themselves for the moment, while he focused on the other issues at hand. Leonardo was down to the last two of the original five, the hold-outs that were not going down easily. He parried a strike from one, even as he fell into a crouched position to avoid the broad sweep of another blade. It was in that instant that one of them chose to expose their own body to the turtle's attack, by raising his katana completely over his head.

Leonardo's foot met his unprotected stomach with tremendous force, and both swords came up in a blocking formation against the other man that was still on his feet. Leonardo held the single sword at bay from the one warrior, even as he sent a second kick into his vulnerable opponent, lashing his unconscious frame into the wall before it eventually struck the floor.

The blue-banded turtle gave each blade a slight twirl as he steadied his balance against the remaining warrior, a man with nothing but determination in his dark eyes.

Shirou hesitated for an but an instant, recognizing without a doubt that he was outmatched. That didn't mean he would back down without a fight.

"A creature of_ true _honor would not fight a single-armed assailant with two blades." The young man challenged, as Leonardo's own dark eyes regarded him coolly.

To the man's surprise, the turtle actually sheathed one his weapons, and raised the remaining one back at him.

"No more excuses." Leonardo said evenly. "Unless you don't _want_ to fight - in which case, you're free to surrender."

"Not on your life demon. I've greatly desired the honor of killing one of you myself - a privilege which now makes being left at home tonight worth it all."


	66. Surrender

Leonardo didn't immediately strike, allowing Shirou the opportunity to come at him first, breaking formation from the tight circling maneuver that seemed almost customary for this type of fight. The turtle easily side-stepped his intended blow, then whipped his own blade back to meet the young warrior from the right, and brought the edge to bear against the human's side. He didn't use the full force that he could have, even allowing a fraction of seconds for the man to recover slightly.

He sensed instinctively where Shirou would try to strike next, and his katana was already in perfect position to first block, and then hold his assailant's blade firmly in a locked grip. As the young warrior continued trying to push through it, his own momentum carried him forward and got him cut a second time, across the forearm on this pass.

With a grunt under his breath, the man pressed past the initial pain and struck out yet again, with what he intended to be a kill-swipe across the throat. The blue-banded turtle anticipated him, and met his katana with another angled block. He allowed Shirou's blade to continue plunging downward, then pulled his own katana back around his head, and brought the blade to rest on the base of the young man's throat.

"Think about what you're doing." Leonardo said into his ear. "It doesn't have to end this way."

"_Yes, _it does." Shirou spat in response, sensing the turtle's hesitancy to follow through with the kill.

He banked away from Leonardo, and took another moment to size him up silently. Leonardo had only just fallen into an utterly dumb-founding position, what was actually a reverse fighting stance. Legs slightly bent, he had both arms crossed over his plastron, the edge of his single blade facing outwardly against his splayed arms.

With a determined cry Shirou lunged toward him again. Leonardo performed a quick snap with the ready blade to slice his left arm, and then instantly brought the blade back over his shoulder to strike the man's right wrist. The human's blade hitting the floor was the sound of his own doom to Shirou's ears, and he realized what he needed to do now above all else.

Shirou plunged after the katana, barely getting a grasp on the hilt of it before Leonardo's blade was resting on the back of his neck.

"Let it go. You don't have to die." The turtle told him.

Not caring if the blue-masked turtle did cut him, Shirou darted upright from the floor with katana in hand. The man twisted the blade at what was a completely unexpected angle, and intentionally fell upon his own edge. Leonardo was a little shocked by the move, and stared openly at him for a few seconds as the young man collapsed face-down, impaled by his own hand.

"I wouldn't have killed you." Leonardo told him softly.

"That is _why_ I had to." The man returned through a shattered gasp, as his own body suffered in throes of agonizing pain.

* * *

Donatello saw a clear opportunity with the men that still surrounded them, and caught sight of Brandon standing out of the corner of his eye. Without a spoken word the turtle swiftly hooked the human around both legs to force the man to the floor, in the same instant that he raised his bo over his head and swung it in a fierce arc against the remaining four men in his reach. He straightened upright as the warriors hit the floor, and performed a drop kick against the only man who'd been clever enough to avoid the range of his strike.

Brandon scrambled off the floor with a somewhat indignant glare at the purple-banded turtle. "I guess you couldn't have _warned_ a guy or something."

"Sorry, there wasn't time. Are you alright?"

"It was only a couple of shots, nothing that will kill me." Brandon replied, shifting his left shoulder from the mild wrenching pain of someone's recent attack. "It's quiet." He noticed suddenly. "Your brother--"

Donatello didn't give him a chance to finish, simply flung his backpack at the man. "Start getting them restrained, I'll be back!"

The purple-banded turtle dashed back into the hall, and found his older brother just sheathing his one katana. "Leo, you okay? Are we clear?"

"I'm fine, but I can't say if that's the last of them. It's sure the last for_ those _two anyway. I had no choice but to kill the one in the middle of everything, and the other...he just finished the job on his own." His brother's voice was clearly a little shaken, not from the difficulty of the battle, but at the blood he'd been forced to take.

Donatello recognized his brother's discomfort with the act very well, but he also knew they needed to finish things here, and move on with the rest of the pressing business. "C'mon Fearless." He said quietly. "We're not done yet."

* * *

They resumed their trek down the corridor, each now breaking down different doors in turn where they were locked, searching for the last captive woman. Leonardo was feeling about as impatient as he ever had, driven on by some sense of impending disaster. Despite the fact that they hadn't seen any more men yet, the shaky feeling kept increasing, and urging him on faster in the search.

The next handle he tried was locked as some of the others had been. He angled muscular legs, and delivered a powerful kick to a precise location on the frame of the door, forcing the wood to give way under his pressure.

The shocking sound made Calley drop the tanto which she'd recently graduated to bracing against one of her wrists, and then back against the wall in sudden terror of the violence of the motion. She'd heard the sound of the earlier alarm, but hadn't taken the time to connect what it could actually be associated with. She'd never heard the sound before, and had more important things to worry about at the time - like mustering the "courage" to kill herself before Shirou returned to complete it himself. Her entire body trembled, face hidden somewhat in the sleeves of her arms that were protectively grasping her shoulders.

"_Calley_?"

The young woman went instantly still, and slowly raised her head to face the speaker. A sob escaped her frame as she instantly shuddered once more. "You came?"

The blue-masked turtle came swiftly to kneel at her level by the mattress. "We don't leave people behind. Are you hurt, can you move?"

"I...I'm..." She faltered, as she glanced down at the blade in front of her, and then back at the turtle's dark eyes. "I thought I'd never see you again." Was all she finally answered.

"That's the thing about us Calley, we just keep popping up. It's one of the things you'll have to get used to. C'mon, I'll help you, but we need to get moving."

She pushed off of the wall toward his outstretched hands, and in that instant shut down every single voice in her own mind that had plagued her. The young woman fell into the turtle's grasp more deeply than he'd expected, and then she kissed him before her mind could kick back into reality. To his stunned expression, she simply ducked her head.

"I'm sorry, I'm not right for you, I...I don't deserve..." She wavered uncertainly as he recovered, and took her lightly by the chin to guide her face back to his.

When the unmistakable desire didn't leave her eyes, he moved to kiss her himself. He was exhilarated beyond belief when she returned it, even though his own mind was inwardly racing as quickly as her own.

"If you're not worth it, what am I here for?" He asked with a note of insistence. "It's only the timing..."

"I know, it's wrong, it's so wrong." She agreed without hesitation, even though neither had managed to back away from the other yet.

"To even think about trying this, it...it's just..." He didn't finish as she initiated another kiss, that he couldn't find the will inside of him to cut off.

"It's ridiculous." She said. "Silly to think that we can act like everything's normal..."

"When we know that it isn't." He added, as she turned slightly to rest her cheek against his.

"But I _want_ it, more than anything." She proclaimed with sudden fierceness. "I just can't bear to disappoint you. I don't know if I can change."

"You _have_ changed." He stated with certainty.

"You wouldn't say that, not if you were in my head. You don't know what I was considering."

His gaze left her for the first time, traveling back to the blade she'd been clutching when he entered the room. "You didn't do it." He pointed out.

"But I wanted to. I wanted it to be easy, to be over."

"Wanting isn't the same thing as doing." He reminded her. "And you didn't do it." He repeated.

"If you hadn't come, I _would_ have."

The blue-banded turtle stared at her unspeaking for a long moment, and smoothed overhanging bangs out of her eyes so that he could get a clear glimpse of both of them. "No, you wouldn't have." He said at last. "Because in these last few weeks, I've learned something about you, that no one can take away. You're not a quitter. You wouldn't have lasted this long if you were."

"But I left behind everything," She countered. "Dance, my father, my entire life. I got so entrenched in all of this, I never thought I would get as far away from it as I did."

"And do you know why you got away?" The turtle pressed. "Why you were even able to run that first time, after just being in a car accident, as you were hemorrhaging on the inside? Because you're not a quitter. That's why you won't disappoint me. That's why I'm not worried about how you'll 'turn out'. I'm not giving up on you Calley."

"I don't think I can give up on _this_." She whispered, motioning between the two of them. "But I don't know what to do with it either." She had to admit.

He shook his head. "Neither do I, but there has to be--"

"Leo?" Donatello's voice cut in from the doorway, and then the turtle actually laughed when he saw Calley. "You found her!"

"Yeah." Leonardo answered instantly, and then gave the woman's arm a small tug. "We need to go."

* * *

Takashi had already dispatched some of his men to start combing the factory quietly, when he received what was an annoying call on his cell-phone that he didn't even want to deal with. "Make it fast!" He snapped at the man on the other end when he answered. "We're working here."

"Takashi-sama, we've been compromised! I don't know how, but several of the men are down, some of them dead." A harried voice told him on the other end. "I came from my post outside about ten minutes ago, and simply found things this way! I can say with certainty that no one was seen from the perimeter. I was about to check on the other prisoners, though I don't see how they could have escaped!"

Takashi went deadly still for a few moments, as the true purpose of that evening's events hit him hard. "You know what is required of you." He said icily. "Activate the terminal and be done with it, you will see it through yourself. We leave no evidence behind."

He slapped the phone shut and turned to Yukiko with a burning gaze. "We will not be returning." He told the woman. "We have to search the entirety of this place and discover the source of this judgement, be it from spirit or beast. No one leaves until we find them."

* * *

*** Yeah, did that feel a little too easy? We're not finished.**


	67. Instinct

Donatello entered the code on the remote to let everyone back into the basement, hesitating for a moment outside the doorway as Brandon and Calley started down the stairs. His gaze turned back over his shoulder, to one of the oddly designed boxes near the ceiling that he'd been drawn to before on their first pass through the building. They had attracted his attention for a different reason this time, for the sake of a small glowing green light that hadn't been lit before.

"Donny, what is it?" Leonardo asked him.

"I need to see something. You go ahead Leo, I'll be behind you in a minute."

"No way bro, I've heard_ that _one before. Brandon, keep going! Get Calley to the access point, and tell everyone to start moving! Don and I have to check out one other thing." Leonardo called down into the darkness.

When he turned back around, Donatello was already trying to reach the box with some difficulty. Leonardo braced against the wall, and offered his younger brother a leg up so that he could get to it. It only took seconds for the turtle to deftly remove the front plate, and delve deeper inside of what the contraption actually housed.

The gasp that followed made it sound like Donatello had sucked every ounce of oxygen out of the room.

"It's C-4 Leo! All these panels, they're located at various stress points in the building. I bet_ all _of them are housing it!"

"You're talking about explosives?"

"That's what I'm telling you! It think the entire place has been set up to be destroyed if the need arose, _just _like in Okinawa!"

"We have to get to the other victims Donny, we've got to get them out of here!"

"We might not have_ time _Leo! We've got to find the point of detonation."

"That's not the bomb?"

"It's part of the explosives that would destroy the place," Donatello answered as he started moving. "But it's actually a fairly stable substance to handle, until you introduce extreme heat or shock waves. That usually requires an initial explosion, triggered by a detonator. That in turn would set off the resulting chain reaction, from the C-4 positioned all over the building!"

"Can you stop it?"

"If I can prevent the detonator from going off to begin with, the C-4 won't have the necessary reaction to be set off either."

"How do we find the detonator?" Leonardo asked, as both turtles picked up speed at a rapid pace.

"I have a feeling that it's part of their network Leo, I saw another suspicious panel back in that office!"

"But it could go off at any time? Like we could be dead in thirty seconds?"

"Leo, I don't _know_! Can we just run, and figure it out when we get there?"

The blue-banded turtle shut his mouth, and didn't say another word as they raced back down the corridor. He stood back somewhat uselessly at first when they arrived, while Donatello dashed to the panel that slightly resembled a fuse box, but was noticeably deeper.

"Should I call the others?" Leonardo asked from the door.

"Tell them to hightail it, while I figure out if...Oh _wow_. It's the real thing Leo."

The purple-banded turtle carefully probed the inner components, finding all the necessary pieces for a time bomb, ranging from the detonator and the charge, to the timer and battery source that would serve as the actual trigger for the explosives. He focused in closer on the timer, finding some difficulty in getting the numbers to show up properly.

"I didn't tell them what they were running from." Leonardo said as he walked over to join him. "What are you looking at Donny?"

The turtle didn't answer him right away as he felt around lightly on the timer, finally locating a button on the side that lit the display up brighter.

"Is that...is it..." Leonardo faltered without finishing.

"It's the count-down. Little less than eight minutes."

"Then we have some time, maybe enough to get the women out and--"

"No Leo, you don't understand the explosive power behind this much C-4. The resulting detonations would likely cause a cave in - even if we could get them all released, we'd probably still be crushed. There's just not enough time to get it done, and get away fast enough. What I need to do is cut the source of electricity to the battery, because without the power source, it won't create that initial spark, which means it couldn't explode."

"Isn't it always the red wire?" The blue-banded turtle had to ask, and Donatello stepped partially to the side so that Leonardo could see the full device.

"They're all yellow Leo. Contrary to popular depiction, most manufacturers only use one color of wiring."

"Well _that_ sucks." The turtle stated a little out of character. "Can you cut more than one?"

"There's only a single _correct _wire that's feeding directly into the power source. Cutting any of the others would have tremendous consequences. It could either speed up the acceleration of the timer itself, or cause an instant detonation. The real trick is that some of these wires aren't even necessary to the device at all, they're simple ploys to distract from the right one. You cut one of the triggers, and it's all over." Donatello told him, swallowing sharply as he slowly considered each one. "So we've got...seven possibilities, and a rather difficult decision to make."

"It sounds like you've seen something like this before."

"It's a little different in person Leo. I need to think, I just need to think for a minute."

"What if you removed the power source entirely? You said the detonator won't go off without it."

"They rig those things against being tampered with. Any true force applied directly to the battery would probably result in an instant explosion too. Leo...if you went out the front, you could probably still get far enough away to safety."

"What happened to diffusing it Donny?"

"I can't guarantee I'll cut the right one!" He proclaimed with all the force of the nerves that were rocketing through his body at that moment.

"I'm not leaving you," Leonardo said stubbornly. "So you'll just have to pick the right one."

"Any suggestions as to how?" His brother answered a little sarcastically.

"Go with your gut." Leonardo said more quietly. "I bet you had an idea which one led to the power source, the minute you saw all those wires. Trust your instinct."

The younger turtle bit his lip, chocolate brown eyes taking on an almost glazed appearance as he silently considered his options again. Another minute and a half elapsed before he lightly fingered a wire. "I thought it could be this one at first. But even studying it now...the one on the far right looks like a much likelier candidate to be feeding directly to the source."

"But what you see isn't necessarily what's real." The blue-banded turtle reminded him. "I still think you should go with your first suspicion."

Donatello hesitated over both, his finger trembling slightly as he touched each one. "I can't tell, I just can't tell without taking the thing completely apart! But doing that would probably trigger a reaction too!"

"Donny, stop thinking, you're only going to get yourself worked up worse. Now, we've got about four minutes. We don't need to wait for it to tick down to the last seconds, do we? I have a feeling that your gut reaction was the right one, but you won't be 100% sure, no matter what you do. Even if you waited, it wouldn't make you feel more certain, would it?"

"Not at this point." He replied.

"Then make the cut." Leonardo ordered him.

The purple-banded turtle drew his knife blade, bringing the edge of it up cautiously to meet the plastic coating of the first wire that he'd suspected. He braced it for an instant in place, and then met his oldest brother's gaze with another moment of hesitancy.

"Do it Donny." He said evenly.

Donatello's face screwed up a little bit, right before he made the decisive cut. The breath he'd been holding exhaled sharply when only silence followed the action, and then his eyes flicked to the frozen timer.

"Is that it?" Leonardo barely dared to breathe. "Is it stopped?"

Donatello lowered the knife blade that had been suspended in space, and waited a few more seconds before he could actually respond himself. "I think so...I think...I might be sick in a few seconds here."

The purple-banded turtle dropped the knife as he bent over slightly at the waist, like he was suddenly dizzy from the enormity of what they'd just been through. As Leonardo moved to support him, the smallest trace of a shadow casting across the floor caught the eye of Donatello, who'd already been looking down. Without time to speak a syllable of explanation, the purple-banded turtle lunged for the katana that had been strapped to his side this entire time, and caught the arcing blade that was aiming for Leonardo's neck from behind.

With another surge of adrenaline and a loud cry, the turtle thrust forward with a true counter-attack of his own. He drove the suicidal warrior into the wall, whose only purpose in staying behind had been following instructions to make _certain_ that the detonation took place. Donatello drove the hilt of the blade firmly over his head to incapacitate him, rather than running him straight through.

His blue-banded brother simply grinned at him. "That's the second time in a month you've saved my neck."

"We're not still trying to keep track of how often we fend for each other, are we? Seems kind of pointless." Donatello replied.

"So does staying up here a minute longer. Let's get the heck out, and call 911 on this place already."

* * *

The two turtles had probably never been happier to see a sewer in their entire lives. They had waited near their access grating with April on the phone, feeding information to them about what was going on with the camera feed outside. They weren't about to leave the basement (and the other prisoners) behind until the cops were definitely closing in, along with the bomb squad. They'd decided against revealing themselves to the women unless they had no other choice, and the entrance of the law enforcement made it a completely moot point.

When they were confident the cops were close enough, the turtles began running again, buoyed on by another surge of energy that had them both exchanging a gaze, that set off a small amount of laughter.

Leonardo's arm lightly hooked around his younger brother's neck. "You see? I told you that you were right. You're _always_ right, when are you going to learn that?"

"Not always Fearless," He countered. "And maybe not even this time, if you hadn't pushed me to it." As he finished, Donatello suddenly cut his stride short. "Shoot, we still have Kat and Heff to consider. This isn't over yet."


	68. Plan B

Katherine had only just captured her third scout in the last twenty minutes, and was bent over the man on the floor, restraining him with the turtles' favorite stand-by. Greg glanced over at her nervously, and shook his head for the fifth time.

"Correct me if I'm wrong - but isn't this what you told your husband you _wouldn't_ be doing?"

"What do you want from me Greg? Should I let them through, just let them find us? You know we're pushing our luck, I've been fortunate to catch them alone so far. We're not going to be able to hide here forever." She responded, looking down when both of their cell-phones vibrated mid-statement.

It ended up being a mass-text message to the group, informing everyone at once that the turtles' phase of the mission was complete, and that they were safely out of range of the enemy.

"Not a minute too soon." Greg said with some relief, as Katherine exhaled like she'd been holding her breath for three days. "I've seen enough of this place, haven't you? Let's bid it a fine farewell." He proclaimed, as he started the process to shut down his laptop.

Before he could complete the action, a flashing indicator warned him that their planned escape route had suddenly become somewhat less than feasible. He groaned inwardly before saying anything to Katherine. The giant weight of the world seemed to have lifted from her shoulders in a matter of seconds, and now he was going to have to bring her back down to earth again.

"Looks like they found the way through, we've got action on that back stair-well. I hate to say this James, but I'm afraid 'Plan B' is going to have to be put in effect."

Wordlessly the woman removed her watch, and handed it over to Greg along with her cell-phone. The man swiftly shut the computer down the rest of the way, and sealed all of their electronics into the military issue bag he'd brought along for this express purpose.

"Somehow, I think this should have been more like Plan P or Q...something like that." Katherine muttered to herself, and Greg didn't bother wasting the time to respond. The Granary had long been abandoned, and probably wasn't completely structurally sound anymore. That reason alone made their secondary choice for escape a dangerous one.

He motioned to her, and they both started moving swiftly away from the door they'd been camped by for the last couple of hours waiting, even before the Akiudo had ever arrived. They remained as silent as possible as they hurried through the darkness, hating that they even needed the use of a flashlight at all. Katherine felt like it was a giant search beam calling attention to their presence, but they did need some way to have a clue where they were going.

She tried to push the anxiety from her mind, and focused instead on picking her way through the decades of left-over debris, staying as close to her former partner as she could without running physically into him. What sounded like a low whistle exchanged between warriors was the only warning she had before someone launched himself at her from the outlying darkness, nearly landing directly on top of her.

Katherine allowed the man's weight to roll directly over her back, and cracked him solidly across the rib-cage when he tried to run at her again. Another assailant had managed to get a hand on Greg, but the bulky bag he was carrying on his back prevented the warrior from a true capture hold. Greg spun on heel rapidly and head-butted the man directly in the chin, sending him to the floor with a loud crash.

"It think it's safe to say they heard that one James!" Greg said a little breathlessly.

"Move Heffernan, _move_!" The woman ordered him, as she sensed other figures in the darkness that he hadn't picked up on yet.

The flashlight was gone now, and they were running almost completely blindly, except for where portions of the missing roof allowed shafts of moonlight into the otherwise darkened space. They stayed as close together as they could, partially for the assurance of not losing one another, and also so that they'd be able to face whatever came at them more effectively.

It was a good strategy for not being cut off from each other, but it wasn't the best solution for the distribution of their weight concerning some of the oldest sections of the flooring. They'd been listening to it creak and protest beneath them for a couple of minutes as they ran, but still didn't expect it to give out beneath them entirely.

Greg just barely managed to hook an arm over part of a rafter as they fell, but Katherine had been met only by empty space. In the span of seconds that she had, she fought to catch a hold of something, anything to ease her descent, only wanting to protect certain parts of her body from striking the wrong way. She barely had enough time to adjust accordingly so that she landed hard on her back instead of her front, and was met by instantaneous sharp pain.

Concern for her made Greg let go of the rafter without much thought for himself. He landed a little awkwardly, but without injury.

"James!" He struggled to keep his voice down, knowing the enemy had to be close by. "Are you alright? Can you move everything?"

"That was _one_ way to get down." She said through a strained gasp, closing her eyes for a second as the pain turned into a rapidly heating sensation, radiating out from the point of impact. "I don't...I don't think I broke anything. But it still hurts."

Greg didn't really want to move her, but staying here wasn't an option. "I don't want to make this worse on you, but we have to go."

She clenched her jaw fiercely as he pulled her upright, and insisted on trying to stand on her own.

"No James, you won't be able to run." He said simply. "You're just gonna have to let me do this. Don't worry - I won't tell anyone I had to save your tail."

"Why not, because that would put the score at about two-hundred to _one_?"

He didn't bother replying to her bait, as he sifted back through his bag for a couple of flash grenades. "I can be the feet, but you're going to have to be my hands James. Think you can hold onto these?"

"Your hands never looked so good." She answered, and the smallest chuckle escaped him.

"Enough with the wisecracks already, I've got enough to think about."

All of his thought had been bent on reaching a certain point he'd already researched, out of the necessity of being prepared. Right now he was too occupied with everything that could go wrong to even come up with an appropriate come-back to his former partner's goading.

"Okay, serious face is on." She assured him.

Katherine clutched the projectiles with every ounce of strength inside of her, tensing rigidly in Greg's arms as her back spasmed. She didn't complain about it, in fact, she didn't say anything else at all for the time being. The entirety of her attention was turned on searching for possible enemies, while Greg tried to get them to their second choice for escape.

They didn't expect to go unnoticed; the noise from the collapse alone should have been enough to bring the warriors down upon them in droves. Greg's heart still skipped a beat when he spotted what looked like a dark tidal wave heading their direction. At least it made their approach impossible to miss if nothing else, and their own position hadn't been discovered yet.

He flattened against the wall behind an old piece of machinery, and both of them held their breath as the men fanned out to continue searching.

"Now what?" He asked with quiet rhetoric.

"We have to keep moving Greg. The longer we stay in one place, the more chance we have of being discovered." She pointed out.

The man started inching along as quietly as he could manage against the wall, his heart-rate picking up again as they got closer to where they needed to be. The sight of several men standing in between them and their chance to get away was a little disheartening.

"What we need is a diversion for _ourselves _now." He said softly, and then his head jerked slightly as something else occurred to him. "Can you change the setting on those grenades for me James?"

"To what Greg? What's your thinking here?"

"I've thought of a better use for them."

* * *

Greg had a couple of close calls when he was planting the devices, while he double-checked to make certain that the timing mechanisms were set properly, before returning to where he'd left Katherine. Their exit was still in sight, without a clear path to reach it. Hopefully, that was about to change. They waited silently for the mayhem to be kicked off, and Katherine already had her old service weapon in hand while Greg tried to calculate the seconds that were ticking by.

He gave Katherine a strong nod around the time that he figured they should be going off, and then braced himself to get ready to move the both of them. The explosions were nearly simultaneous, several yards away from where they were currently located. Katherine immediately fired her gun into the air a couple of times as they were winding down, to add to the chaos that was drawing warriors in like flies.

While the enemy converged in the direction of their diversion, Greg stole through the darkness with Katherine one last time to get over to the grain shafts they'd been eyeing for the last couple of minutes.

"This had better work Heffernan." She warned him as he got her inside first.

"I told you I looked into this James - they're supposed to lead straight to where the ships used to dock."

"I just don't want your mug to be the last thing that I see." She grunted as she tried to shift positions, and pain hit her nerves once more.

"Then you have to let_ go_." He ordered her soundly, as she was still holding onto the sides to prevent herself from going anywhere.

It was a massive risk to take; the shafts were old, and hadn't been in working order for years, hence not being their first choice for escape. But as with so many other times, it was much too late to back out now.

Unusual fear struck Katherine as they began their descent through the old system, an emotion she was completely unused to dealing with in that magnitude. It was normally only activated by concern for someone else, but the threat upon the life inside of her_ was _loudly resounding in the back of her mind. Mentally she apologized to Luke for putting their baby in this much danger, before steeling herself to hope that they would land safely on the other side of things.

The exit of the shaft came up faster than either of them anticipated, and Katherine hit the water of the harbor a few seconds ahead of Greg. The landing sent further shock waves through her back, and she struggled to resurface as her body seized up in another spasm that was temporarily almost paralyzing. She felt the disturbance in the water nearby her, sensed something flailing her direction, obviously trying to locate her in the darkness.

She cast her own arm toward the sensation, and was relieved to be caught by the wrist. Greg pulled her to the surface and tried to support her above the water as carefully as he could, while both their breath heaved a little strongly. He felt Katherine trying to get her own bearings back, and consciously slowed down his own breathing to to make her feel calmer.

"It's okay." He told her. "Don't fight it James, you're hurt. Don't try to do anything, I've got you."

She allowed her frame to go slack against him, trusting him fully to support her. "Oh my word...Oh God...I don't believe we just did that."

Greg allowed a chuckle to escape. "I knew you'd miss it." He said jokingly.

She gave him a somewhat harrowing glance over her shoulder. "If you tell Luke about this, I'll kill you with my bare hands."

"Aren't you glad that's the biggest concern in your mind right now?" He teased.

"Actually, my biggest concern is more related to where in the world we're supposed to go from here partner."


	69. Asking

When Katherine and Greg didn't answer their phones, the turtles were prone to assume the worst. They'd already separated from the others into Marcus' Avalanche, with Brandon having already volunteered to drive them. Leonardo had instructed the docs to get everybody else home in the Battle Shell, and leaned over to talk to Marcus as he lingered for another second at the passenger side window.

"Try not to get yourselves in any more trouble." The man told him.

"We'll do our best. Take care of Mikey, will you? Let us know if anything changes, and we'll head back as soon as we find them." The blue-banded turtle replied.

Marcus gave the keys to the van a nervous toss as he circled around the back of the Battle Shell, to check on things with everyone else before he started it up. The three women were huddled close together on one side of the van, while Luke was working on the other, trying to force more oxygen into the orange-masked turtle's lungs.

"Marc, you need to step on it, okay?" Luke said when he saw him. "He needs life support, and we've got to move on with the next phase of the antidote."

Jenna sat up further on her side of the seat. "I could drive if you like." She offered.

"I can handle the wheel Jen." Marcus assured her. "You_ rest _with the others, and I'll get us out of here."

Luke's glance fell on him one more time before he could shut the doors. "Hurry. I don't know how much time we have."

* * *

The phone ringing had rarely made Leonardo so happy. "Heff! Are you guys alright?"

"Uh...pretty much. You can tell Donny that water-tight seal on the bag worked like a charm. We're out of immediate danger, but we could still use some help. James is hurt, not like dying or anything, but we've ended up in the opposite direction of where I left my Jeep."

"We're already heading your way, we'll pick you up." Leonardo said briskly. "How can we find you?"

"If Donny's got his scanner on him, I'll just set the beacon on my watch for you to follow. We're still on the edge of the harbor, and I don't really want to move Katherine again before somebody gets a good look at her." Greg answered, as he fiddled with the facing of his watch with his free hand.

"Hold tight Heff, we'll be there as soon as we can." Leonardo told him.

They were perched somewhat precariously on some rocks, with Greg still supporting Katherine to keep her partially upright. There was enough of a breeze coming off the water to make them both uncomfortable, and Katherine had been trembling a little harder with the passing minutes. Her ears pricked up slightly at the sound of an approaching vehicle, and they were both incredibly relieved to see the dark blue Avalanche pulling up.

The others tumbled out of the car so fast it was almost comical to see, or would have been if Katherine wasn't clearly hurting.

"Leo, grab those blankets out of the back!" Donatello told him at once, as he knelt down by the rocks to get his hands on the woman.

Brandon ducked down beside the turtle, peering at his sister somewhat anxiously while Donatello started carefully probing her back with his fingers. At her description of the pain, Donny shook his head understandingly.

"Sounds like something relating to a disc, maybe even a pinched nerve. We won't know for sure until I can get a good scan of it. I just want to take a little more time here, make sure I know where your spinal cord stands before we go anywhere." He told her.

Katherine's glance traveled to Brandon, and she gave him a forced smile. "Don't you look at me like that." She said firmly, as her brother exhaled softly.

"You_ are _done now, aren't you?" He answered a little pleadingly. "You had me really scared."

The woman started to nod, when Donatello carefully braced her chin to stop her.

"Hold on Kat, let me see..." The purple-banded turtle trailed off slowly as he felt around the back of her head, pulling hair back out of the way. "You're bleeding. It probably stopped when you hit the water, but you've definitely got a gash back here, so we'll want to be careful of that too."

"Luke is gonna kill me." She mused softly, stiffening in Donatello's gentle grasp as another spasm of pain wracked her back. "But enough about me. What about the others?"

"The girls are in good shape." Donatello replied. "Mikey...he's rough right now." He didn't seem willing to say anything more on that matter for that second. "It's safe to move Katherine, it's simply going to be painful. We need to get the two of you warmed up anyway, so I say you just come with us and forget about the Jeep for now. I think I ought give you a small dose of the sedative Kat, it would definitely make you more comfortable."

"I'll be okay, I really don't need--" She started, and Brandon's hand suddenly grasped her knee.

"Take it Kat. Why suffer if you don't have to? Stop worrying about what your husband is going to say, he's gonna be happy just to see you." Brandon told her.

"It isn't just him." She replied, her voice breaking a little. "Donny, can you tell if the baby's okay? If I've done something that jeopardizes him...I won't be able to live with that, let alone Luke."

"Kat, I know you're scared." Donatello said softly. "But I can't get those answers for you here. The best thing to do is stay calm, and we'll get to the bottom of everything when we're back underground, okay?"

She nodded with a slight motion, as the turtle reached down to draw her off the rock. Brandon moved to help him, and they carried her between them with as little jostling as possible back to the car. Leonardo held out a hand toward the blanket-wrapped Greg, and the man allowed him to help pull him up too.

"So you're okay?" Leonardo asked probingly.

Greg nodded his own head silently, somewhat muted by the worry of his own former partner. "Yeah. How'd things go in the suburbs?"

"It was pretty routine." The blue-banded turtle said casually. "Went in, found everyone, had to kick a few tails. Then Donny diffused a detonator, and we had to wait around a little bit for the cops to come so we'd know the other slaves in the basement would be safe."

Greg pulled up completely short in his step. "You said Donny did _what_?"

* * *

Calley was sitting cross-legged on the floor by the couch, the same position she'd been in since arriving back at the Den several minutes prior. The other women had been pretty insistent that she eat something, Victoria in particular wasn't letting her duck out of it. While she accepted some food that she was only kind of nibbling on, the rest of her attention was devoted solely to her father on the couch. She could tell that his position wasn't a comfortable one. He was in obvious pain that he couldn't hide from her entirely, but his smile was still unflappable.

For awhile she hadn't said anything, despite the thoughts that were racing through her mind. There were so many things that she _wanted _to say, but in that moment of intense relief, none of them seemed completely appropriate. Tim finally reached out a hand toward her though he couldn't completely turn her direction, an act of acceptance so strong that she couldn't prevent tears from rising.

"I've missed you Dad." She said at last. "And I don't wanna screw this up. I don't want to go anywhere, or ever leave you again. I'm so sorry I put you through all this."

His neck attempted to crane further her direction. "I hope you'll give me a chance to love you Calley. Because it's never changed one little bit through the years, even when I didn't know if you were alive."

"I'm trying here Dad. And I want to show you myself, somehow prove how much I really love you too."

His hand located hers, and she allowed him to grasp her fingers.

"You don't have to prove anything. Just stick with me, that's all I'm asking. These next few months are going to be hard, there's no denying that. But if you hold on, I promise that it'll get better." He told her.

"I want to Dad, I really do this time." She replied, and broke eye contact with him for a moment. "There's something I should probably tell you, but I'm not sure how. It's about Leonardo."

As she seemed to be working up the nerve to continue, he suddenly grasped her hand tighter.

"You like him." Timothy stated, so that she wouldn't have to hesitate any further, and startled brown eyes met him again.

"How did you..."

"It wasn't that hard to put together. Like the way you wanted to talk about him before, and wouldn't let yourself. Then there's the small fact that he likes _you_."

"He told you that?"

"Not in so many words. But that part was fairly obvious too."

* * *

Raphael was _already_ awake when the docs had bustled in with Michelangelo, as no amount of the medication he was on allowed him to relax with everything that had been going on without him. He held off from asking questions about Mike (even though he seriously wanted to) while Luke and Marcus feverishly worked together to get the orange-masked turtle set up on a couple pieces of equipment. Helpless frustration washed over him as Raphael at least tried to sit up, and barely made it a couple of inches.

"Raph?" Someone called from the door, a voice he'd been holding his breath to hear.

Raphael let the air out sharply in a motion that ended up being rather painful, but right now he couldn't have cared less.

Karina took in the sight of the turtle, who was currently even devoid of his normal trademark mask. He was paler than she'd ever seen him look before, seemingly shaken almost as much by being forced to wait behind as he'd been by physical injuries.

"Kari..." The word left his mouth in a combination of relief, desire, and anxiety all wrapped up into one lonely syllable.

The woman bent over the turtle and kissed him to stop him from saying anything else for that moment. She didn't feel it was honestly necessary. The exchange had lasted for a few seconds when Karina dissolved into tears, wanting nothing more than to bury her head in the turtle's chest. His injuries prevented her from doing that, so she pulled back slightly instead.

A cross look flickered through the turtle's amber eyes. "Woman, _c'mere_. I can't chase you."

She came back to balance on the edge of the bed, scooping up one of his hands in her own. They never held onto heat extremely well, but his felt colder than usual. "When they told Jenna..." Karina started, and then plunged ahead without finishing the thought. "I was scared to death. I didn't know what had happened to you, and now just seeing you..."

"I ain't dead Kari, Donny and the docs have a lot to do with that. But your brother, he pretty much saved my shell too. Him showing up at the door spooked those morons, they didn't even make _sure_ I was dead. Big mistake on their part, if I'm ever lucky enough to cross paths with them again. But your brother didn't bolt, even when he saw what I was. He's everything you think he is."

She found herself blinking back further tears at that, and leaned a little further over the turtle so he wouldn't have to fight to keep his tone audible.

"I didn't have much time to talk to him. Once we were all out, he and your brothers went right after Kat and Greg."

To the immediate concern in his eyes, she softly reassured him. "They're out of danger too, but I guess Kat's hurt somehow."

"What a night." The turtle mumbled. "Wish I coulda had a part in it. But I'm just glad you're okay too. You _are_ okay, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It's not an experience I want to repeat, but it could have been worse."

Karina lapsed into silence for a moment, resting her head next to his so that he could reach a strand of her burnished hair.

"I'm sorry I didn't stop it." He spoke what was truly on his mind.

"It wasn't your fault, and I don't want to hear any more apologies along those lines." She said firmly. "We're both _here_, against all those odds. Let's just be thankful for that."

"I am." He emphasized as strongly as he could. "I love you Kari."

"Then why don't you marry me?"

His head raised about an inch, instant confusion registering in amber eyes. "Are you _asking_ me?"

"I don't have Jenna's nerves of steel Raph - I don't think I can wait seven years for someone to get around to it." She said impishly.

"First of all, I'm not Donny. And second...what about Brandon?"

"What about him? Don't tell me_ he _already asked you." She couldn't resist adding.

The turtle rolled his eyes at her. "Your bro doesn't even know me."

"Raph, if you were human, would you be hesitating?"

"I wouldn't, but I'm _not_--"

"Do you think you could stand the sight of me forever and a day?"

"You aren't the issue here Karina."

"Raph, there's only one other important question I need to know the answer to. Do you want to be with me?"

"It's a no brainer on my part, but I don't..." The turtle didn't finish the sentence, as he remembered Donatello's own hesitation years ago.

His younger brother had held off asking Jenna for so long, mostly because he was so uncomfortable with the idea of asking Jenna to in essence give up the world to be with him. But in the end he'd finally come to realize that it was _Jenna's_ choice, and that she had the right to make her own decision about him.

"Is this really the life you want?" Raphael continued.

"Anything else would be dreadfully disappointing."

* * *

*** Who saw that coming? Anybody? Honestly, I didn't either. Fearless has taken on a life of its' own, I'm telling you.**


	70. Alternative

By the time everyone got back underground, there was a necessary shuffle that needed to take place. Leonardo and Brandon took charge of moving Timothy back to the room that Calley had been staying in, where he would be able to sleep more comfortably in his current condition. Donatello in turn had headed toward the Lab with Katherine, and was met by Luke immediately at the door, wanting to get her on the exam table.

"Marc, do me a favor and check on Tim again, will you? You know he's got a high pain threshold, so he's not likely to complain openly under the circumstances." Luke requested of his friend, having taken on his normal director of action role.

Then he turned to meet Donatello after the turtle had put his wife down, drawing him off quietly to the side for a moment. Luke threw a glance over at Raphael, and lowered his voice so that he was sure only the purple-banded turtle would hear him.

"We're having issues with Mike. I had to double his intake, so now we're seriously going to have to watch it. Using this much of the antidote is kind of a double-edged sword, but the alternative..."

"The alternative is to watch him slip away, and none of us are going to do that. I was _afraid_ he wouldn't respond to the lower doses of it, but I thought it was worth trying first, see if we could avoid the possibility of sending him into secondary shock." Donatello answered tightly. "I'll stay on him Doc, you just see to your wife."

"Alright." Luke said softly, actually sounding a little defeated in that moment.

"Hey." Donatello snagged his sleeve before he could walk away. "It could have been worse, right? I mean, we're all here, all the necessary limbs are still attached. With a couple of exceptions...this just could have turned out _very_ differently Doc."

The man shook his head. "Taking these risks with you guys, not knowing what the outcome could be...it doesn't get any easier for me Donatello. We play with these formulas, these chemicals, and all we can do is hope that our testing is thorough enough. I know how drug trials work in the real world, how many years go into a medication before it's released to the public, or approved for use. The rate at which we have to basically throw some of this stuff together in still astounds me sometimes Donny...and it scares me too."

"So you should understand why I used to use_ myself _as the filter for all the new things before I ever used it on anybody else." Donatello said sardonically, for no reason except to get the man a little riled and out of that frame of mind.

"Like that was so much better?" Luke scoffed. "You were out of your mind. What if something had floored you, what would your family have done then?"

"Better me than them." The turtle answered glibly.

"Shut up Genius." Raphael spoke up from across the room, as they were no longer keeping their voices down.

"My sentiments exactly Raph." Luke added dryly, and then sighed as he looked back at Donatello. "Keep an eye on how his kidneys and heart are functioning. The last thing he needs is more drugs thrown at him, but we have to do what we have to do." He finished.

Donatello pulled a desk chair over to where his orange-masked brother was lying, the anxiety of seeing him this way now competing with the relief he felt at having everyone home safely. The turtle made an adjustment on the monitor, and slowly perused where his brother's readings had been falling further for the last hour or so. Luke had reason to be concerned; the possibility of sending Michelangelo into a further state of shock based on even the dose of the antidote was still very real.

The purple-banded turtle settled back in the desk-chair somewhat unhappily, and stole a glance over his shoulder at Raphael. _We came so close to losing Raph completely, and to see Mikey struggle this way now...It just can't end like this. It won't. Not after all that, not with everything that's already happened. I won't let myself think this way, _he told himself fiercely, as he turned his attention back to the flow of one of his brother's IV units._ I'd give anything to see you open your eyes right now bro. I'm sure you've got quite the story to tell. But you've gotta come back to us first. Please._

Luke had never actually seen Katherine as close to complete panic that she appeared to be trying to hold back while he set up the monitor to test the life signs of their baby. Her rigid form itself was more relaxed under the pain killer Donatello had given her en route, but her concern only seemed to have increased with passing minutes.

His back was to her momentarily as he reset one of the machines, so that he could use it in conjunction with one of Donatello's scanners to get a better idea of what was going on inside of her. When he heard Katherine softly gasp, he swiftly turned around to face her, to find her eyes slightly widened.

"I swear I felt something. Like...like little fluttering, but it can't be the baby, can it?" She asked a little shakily.

"You know your body Kat. Does it feel familiar?"

"No, not really. But it's only been what, ten weeks?"

"The muscles have already started developing Kat, the baby would be capable of moving spontaneously by now. A lot of women don't experience discernable movement until a few more weeks in, but plenty of them feel it earlier than that too."

"Well, that was_ definitely _a first if that was it."

"You probably woke him up Kat." He said sardonically. "Give me one more minute to finish setting this up, and we can see how she looks on the monitor."

"Well which is it? He or she?" She asked impishly.

"It's easier to go back and forth between the two until we can know for sure."

Donatello cast yet another glance over his shoulder at the pair of them, a somewhat hopeful light re-entering his eyes. "The baby's okay?" He asked, not having any true doubt based on Luke's current expression.

Luke nodded, as uncharacteristic tears filled Katherine's eyes again.

"I'm not going to get used to being this emotional." She proclaimed.

"Welcome to Motherhood." Luke volunteered.

* * *

Calley breezed quietly into the kitchen, without even realizing that the blue-banded turtle was already in there. She laughed a little shyly, and stopped mid-stride at the sight of him by the microwave. "I thought you weren't allowed to use that thing."

"It's not for anything edible." He answered, as he opened the door to check on the status of the heating element for the pad again.

"That will be a relief for some."

"I'm not _really _as bad as they all say." The turtle told her. "They like to exaggerate. And nobody likes someone who's good at everything, right?" He finished with a half smile, but then tried to camouflage the way his hands shook when she came to lean against the counter non-chalantly.

"Well...I should probably tell you that my father kind of knows about this." She told him, and could have sworn that his dark eyes had just doubled in size.

"He _knows_?"

"I started trying to tell him how I felt, just my side of it...and he filled it in before I could get there. I didn't tell him what happened tonight, or anything about what's been going on. He just added it up based on how I was acting over a couple of things."

"And I'm sure I wasn't completely subtle either." Leonardo mumbled under his breath. "Aw shell. I can only imagine what he must be thinking."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make things more complicated than they are."

"It wouldn't have stayed a secret in this group for very long anyway." Leonardo replied. "I'm just nervous. I don't want this to put him on the spot, and I feel like it's going to. That, and I still don't know what to do. This makes it so much easier to understand other things."

"To understand what?"

"When we first met Jen, she had her own life Calley. Her parents were American diplomats to Australia, and that's where she'd lived her whole life too. To him, it seemed pointless to try and continue a real relationship after she'd left the Den. He didn't see how it could work in the long run."

"But it did." Calley said wistfully. "I've heard people say that love isn't always enough, but it _can_ be, can't it?"

The blue-banded turtle nodded. "It can be. I think...no, I _know _Donny had it the hardest of all of us. He was hardly more than a kid himself when he met Jenna, and he was traveling through uncharted waters."

The beeping of the microwave prevented Leonardo from continuing, and he reached inside to check the heat level again before saying anything else.

"I guess what I really want to say is...I'm okay with waiting, if that's what needs to happen. Or if this doesn't...if it wouldn't work, you don't have to worry about me. I'm still not sure about so many things, or what your Dad is going to have to say, or--"

Calley cut him off with a raised hand. "You talk too much sometimes."

He caught his breath slightly as she placed on arm over his.

"You've been in overdrive for days. I think it's okay to stop for a few seconds." She added.

"Yeah, that'd be okay." He agreed, refusing to allow the smallest tremble in his voice when she pressed against his shoulder, and gave him that _look_ again. The one that turned from the self-assured, even keeled turtle that he was into a bumbling motor-mouth.

Their lips hardly have time to meet briefly before the kitchen door started opening, and they separated in the blink of an eye. It was Marcus who stuck his head inside at that moment.

"Hey guys. Luke wants to give everyone an update at the same time, you might want to come out here."

The blue-banded turtle colored severely, though the man didn't seem to notice. He quickly turned back to the microwave to grab the heating pad, and they moved to join the others in the living area. Leonardo dropped off the pad to Greg, who'd ended up wrenching his own neck a little hard in their harbor landing, and then grabbed a chair.

Leonardo took quick stock of everyone else before Luke got started. Tim was resting under mild sedation, but everyone else was nowhere close to sleeping yet. Katherine and the rest of his brothers were still in the Lab, leaving him out here with the rest of the humans, waiting to hear from Luke.

"There's good news to start." The doctor told them. "We're all alive, you can't beat that. Katherine and the baby are doing okay. She'll be down with her back for awhile, but with the shape she's in, recovery shouldn't be a long drawn out ordeal. As far as Mike is concerned...I don't have very much to tell you that's comforting yet, but here's where we are.

He wasn't responding to the meds as aggressively as we'd hoped for, so I had to increase the amount he was receiving. We held off from starting out with a larger dose, because it has the possibility of interfering with certain other vital systems."

"Wait." Brandon stopped him. "Are you saying that the stuff you're using to save him could ostensibly make him sick too?"

"Yes." Luke answered honestly, to the tomb that the room had become. "It's not catching us off guard, we knew it could be a factor. It's only a possibility mind you, and it's still our best chance at saving him."

"So you're doing it." Leonardo said blandly, guilt hitting him like a ten ton load of bricks. _My little brother is fighting to survive, and I'm preoccupied with how Tim's going to react to feelings in play._

His cheeks colored slightly in shame this time, as he rose from his perch. "I have to see him Doc."


	71. Answer

Donatello had only just finished quietly explaining the situation with Michelangelo to Raphael as painlessly as he could manage, when the blue-banded turtle entered the room. Without stopping by the two of them he went straight toward Michelangelo, and sat down with a giant sigh. Leonardo had been completely silent for a couple of minutes when he felt Donatello's hand, and nearly jerked right out of the chair. He'd been so lost in thought that he hadn't even noticed his younger brother come up behind him.

"I got overconfident." Leonardo said flatly. "We all got away, and part of me just assumed that everything was automatically going to be okay, like all the other times. I'm sorry."

"You've got nothing to apologize for Fearless." Donatello answered him.

"You don't know what's been going through my head. I've been lost on some other plane of existence, but that's another story entirely. You probably don't really want me hanging around here, do you?"

"Well...I think it's easier for you not to." Donatello said carefully. "You're free to come see him, but the vigils should probably left to me and the docs for right now."

"You don't want us to see him like this." Leonardo mused. "The question is, how do you do it Donny?"

The purple-banded turtle shrugged. "One does what one has to. Try and get some sleep, as impossible as that might feel. We won't be able to run without it indefinitely either, and I'm sure we should be able to start including the rest of you in watches starting tomorrow."

"_Are_ you sure?"

"He'll beat it Leo." Donatello replied firmly, and then pointed at the monitor in front of them. "You see that? His temperature has risen a degree in the last hour. I know it might not sound that encouraging, but at least it's done dropping. He's in good hands Leo."

_They're not in your hands_...The faint reminder clung to the back of Leonardo's mind, as the blue-banded turtle squeezed his youngest brother's arm, and then slowly rose to his feet. Donatello mutely offered an arm to him, and Leonardo wrapped him in a tight embrace without hesitation.

"Couldn't have done it without you." The blue-banded turtle said a little stoically. "I'm so proud of you, I can hardly stand it."

"Likewise Leo. _You_ were the rock in there - not me."

The older turtle gave Katherine a fist bump when she offered her own hand toward him as he passed her, on his way over to Raphael.

"How are you doing Raph?" Leonardo asked him.

A sharp breath escaped his brother as he shook his head slightly. "I'm so tired...but every time I close my eyes...I keep hearing these alarms in the back of my head. Like if I go to sleep, he's gonna get worse on me. Sounds dumb, I know."

"It's not dumb." Leonardo assured him. "I know it's hard to relax under these conditions." The blue-banded turtle paused for a moment, and then gave his brother a small smile. "Would it help to get Karina back in here?"

A breadth of a chuckle escaped Raphael. "Feels like I haven't seen her in weeks somehow." He said a bit more hoarsely.

Leonardo immediately reached for the water bottle, and held it for him so that he could get some down out of the straw.

"Thanks Fearless. I'm a helpless one, huh?"

"Not for long Raph." Leonardo said confidently. "You'll be kicking tail again before you know it."

"There's just one tail I've been dreamin' about kicking." The turtle fumed softly under his breath. "We don't know what happened to the rest of those jokers, do we Leo?"

Leonardo hesitated before responding. "No Raph, we don't. The police must have caught up with the ones we restrained back at their Headquarters...but the majority of them still are unaccounted for."

* * *

Another shift was made a couple of minutes later, in which Katherine was moved to Karina's room to get some sleep of her own, and Leonardo forced himself to vacate the Lab at that point too. Leonardo lightly knuckled the orange and white striped cat's head, where the feline had re-claimed her position curled up next to Raphael. Then he met Karina in the doorway just as he was making his own exit, and nodded at her a little solemnly.

"He needs you Karina."

"I'm on it." She told him.

The woman gave Donatello a small wave from across the room, before settling back down at Raphael's side. "Do I dare ask if you've been a good patient?"

"Haven't had the energy to be a bad one." He replied. "Otherwise, I woulda charged off into the night along with them."

Karina rested her arms lightly on the edge of the mattress, one hand gradually working its' way to a specific spot on his side.

"You're not actually going there right now, are you?" He complained. "Don't make me get you banned."

"I can't resist it Raph, it's like this magnet that just pulls me in. But if you want to admit to someone else that you're ticklish..."

"I'm _not_ - it's just sensitive."

"It's called being ticklish Raph. Embrace it - everyone has a spot somewhere."

"Knock it off." He tried to sound gruff, but couldn't quite achieve the proper tone.

She smiled at him innocently. "I will, as soon as you give me an answer."

"Kari, y'know there's still a lot of things to think about." He said seriously, lowering his voice further to keep the conversation out of his other brother's earshot.

"Maybe it wasn't the right time to ask you Raph, but I did, for better or worse. Would you want to be kept waiting if the roles were reversed?"

"I wouldn't know - you didn't give me the choice." He muttered in return. "I mean, I don't even have a ring or anything."

"You think that matters to me? Raph, I've had all kinds of scenarios running in my head throughout most of the day, wondering if you were dead or alive. Then I'm rescued, only to find out that you narrowly survived at all. I'm not concerned with a trinket. Just you. I want to marry _you_." She finished pointedly.

His amber eyes still wavered a little bit uncertainly, as he released a shaky breath. "Okay." He said after a couple more seconds had passed.

"Okay, as in yes?"

"What kind of idiot shell-head would be able to say no to you Karina?"

* * *

Brandon wasn't intentionally trying to spy, but he had been peering through the window, watching snippets of Karina and Raphael's interaction, though he couldn't hear any of it. When he saw her moving to kiss him, Brandon quickly looked away, embarrassed that he'd been watching them at all. As strange and frightening as it had been to meet Raphael on that awful night, he had to acknowledge to himself that the situation wasn't as weird as it might look to an outsider.

_I _am_ an outsider_, he reminded himself ironically, before resuming the thought. _But no one wants you to be_, he then remonstrated himself. _They tried to tell you weeks ago, and you're the one who bolted stupid._

Regardless, that wasn't the line of thought that he really wanted to pursue right now. As different as they were on the outside, it had quickly become pretty easy to see the turtles as people, instead of some strange aliens that didn't belong. No, they didn't belong in the rational world he'd always subscribed to, but that didn't change the fact that they existed.

_They risk their lives for each other, for the people they care about, even for perfect strangers. They could have run tonight, they could have left those slaves to die and saved themselves, but they didn't._

Brandon broke out of thought to gaze at the back of his sisters' head again. _She loves him. She does. And somehow, it doesn't feel all that strange. I hope their other brother makes it too, it would be sad for them to lose him after everything they've been through._

He turned away from the window then, startled to find that April had been partially studying him this entire time too. The woman tried to give him a disarming smile, but he was still further embarrassed.

"It can work between them, can't it?" He asked before he could stop himself.

"Are you talking about Raph and Karina?" She asked in return.

He nodded, and April offered him another smile. "It _has _been working for months. You probably don't know much about it, but Raph has had a pretty rough time. He was kidnapped last Fall, hurt badly in the process. He lost his memory, and he nearly lost everything. The guys saved him, but it still took time for his memory to resurface. Karina was the only one who could get through to him at that point...the only one he would let get close to him. Then she stuck by him, even when his memory returned, and he couldn't remember ever meeting her."

"Oh shoot. How did _that _work?"

April shook her head at him. "A part of him didn't forget her completely, even though it was basically like starting over. The point is, she's done a lot of good for him."

"Something tells me he's done a lot for her too." Brandon said quickly. "Trust me, I can see it now. She's not the same woman she was when she left California - that's never been more clear to me."

* * *

Marcus came into the Lab about forty minutes later, and went to meet Donatello on the opposite side of the room. "Hey Don, why don't you let me take over for a few minutes here?"

"I'm okay Marc, I'm not even tired. I don't really want to leave him."

"You wife needs you." Marcus said evenly, and the purple-banded turtle immediately rose.

"Okay. I'm um...I'll be back later."

The turtle had to perform a bit of a search to find her, and finally located the raven-haired woman bent over the table in the kitchen, obviously exhausted. "Hey. Whatcha doing?" He asked, as light blue eyes met him a little dully.

"Nothing." She said faintly.

"You're not still blaming yourself for Mikey, are you?"

"Who else is there to blame?"

"Well, there's the guy who actually shot him up."

She shrugged, and then glanced back at the table.

"Okay, enough." He said resolutely, then tugging at her shoulder. "No more of this. I know things don't look great right now, but they are improving a little. We need to think positively, and you need to get some sleep."

"You think I'll be able to?"

"You won't know if you don't try, will you?"

"Donny, you don't need to worry about me. Go back to Mikey - that's where you ought be."

Donatello pulled her chair away from the table, and came to kneel at her level. "He has support, and I'll continue to help with him tonight as well. But you're my girl, and you matter too."

She gasped in surprise when he lugged her up out of the chair, and swung her into his arms.

"Mind getting the door?" He requested.

Her own fingers fumbled for the door knob as he moved to exit the kitchen with her in hand. April and Brandon were still talking as Donatello non-chalently carried his wife through the room, and nodded at the two of them.

"G'night." He said casually, as Jenna couldn't completely withhold a giggle anymore.

Brandon tried to veil his own smile until they were gone. "How long have they been at it?"

"Almost ten years Brandon...and I don't think either of them could be any happier." April replied.


	72. Identity

Leonardo had tried to sleep in his room, but found himself completely unable to unwind upstairs. There were still a few minutes before dawn when he quietly came back downstairs to the living area, and approached the Lab again. It was darker in the room now, with only a single light on by the desk. Raphael was fast asleep, and thankfully had been for a couple of hours. Only Donatello was in sight, as the docs had gone to get some rest so that they could relieve _him_ later.

Leonardo had already passed Luke in his customary position, hunkered down on the couch as he usually did when he didn't want to leave the Lab very far behind. The purple-banded turtle looked up from a screen as his older brother came into the room.

"You haven't slept at _all_, have you?" Donatello had to ask.

"I tried." He answered. "You know what kept running through my head?"

"What Leo?"

"That first night when Doc was here, when _you_ were sick. How all of us fell asleep out in the living room, waiting for some kind of news. I can't understand why it was easier then, than it is now."

"I don't know." Donatello said wistfully. "Sensei could have had a part to play in that."

"I guess that's true." Leonardo replied, and then looked over at Michelangelo. "How's he doing?"

"Oxygen levels have slightly increased, but they're still considered to be in the danger zone. We have to leave him on the respirator for now. His other organs are functioning pretty well, though he was dealing with some heart palpitations. It scared me a little bit, but his heart rate stayed mostly steady otherwise. Temperature has climbed a bit more, but it still isn't that close to normal." The purple-banded turtle rubbed his forehead, with the first true display of weariness. "Nights like these, I think about Sensei. I think about him a lot."

"Naturally." Leonardo said. "It was easier to relax under him, wasn't it? Even in the worst situations, he never lost his head. His confidence always buoyed the rest of us."

Donatello's brown eyes flicked up to meet him again, sensing what his older brother _wasn't_ saying. "So does yours Leo. I know you still find yourself comparing your style of leadership to his. I wish you didn't have to, because you always feel like you fall short. The truth is, you're not him Leo, and you don't need to be. He helped shape you to become who you _are, _not some clone of him. And for all the incredible Sensei and father that he was, he wasn't perfect either."

"Yes he was." Leonardo said seriously, but it still made Donatello smile.

"No living _breathing _creature is perfect Leonardo. Sensei had to learn a lot of hard lessons from the things he went through, and he grew from all of it. He will always be the ultimate as far as any of us are concerned. But he wasn't perfect either."

* * *

The somewhat bleary-eyed turtle retreated to the living area a little while later, and settled back into a recliner with one of the thin throw blankets. He had to wonder how much longer the others would sleep before rousing, but he felt more comfortable staying near the Lab the same way that the blond doctor always liked to.

Luke cringed slightly when he woke up about an hour later, having only had about three hours himself. He crossed behind Leonardo as quietly as he could, being careful not to disturb the turtle, then slipped inside the Lab to check on things there. The doctor gave Raphael a silent once-over, and noticed that his fluids had been recently replenished, attesting to the fact that Donny was staying on top of things.

He had to assume that Michelangelo hadn't gotten worse, or the purple-banded turtle would have woken him up. That didn't mean he didn't want a look for himself. "Hey Don." He said softly. "How are things holding up in here?"

"About as good as we could expect. Temperature is a little better...Heart did some stuff I didn't like, but I gave him a unit of ephifine, and it quit. Haven't had any serious palpitations since."

"That's the kinda thing I said you could wake me up for." Luke complained.

"If it had been worse, I would have. But the last couple of hours, he's just been quiet. No visible change in his breathing, he's still relying heavily on the machine."

Luke nodded gravely. "But the fact that he isn't getting sicker, and that we haven't seen any systems completely fail is encouraging."

"I agree." Donatello stated, and then gave Luke a closer look. "You haven't had enough sleep though. You'd better go back and crash, because that's the only way you'll get me to later."

"Alright, fine, as long as you're okay--"

"I am Doc. Go on, get outta here before we wake up Raph. I don't want to have to listen to him complain about the IV for awhile yet." The purple-banded turtle finished with a half smile.

People started rousing over the course of the next hour, but no one seemed anxious to go anywhere. Victoria and April (who'd taken on the unofficial mothering role for the time being) were the only ones who actually left the Den that morning, and that was only to get provisions for the temporarily increased household.

Everyone steered clear of the living area at first, trying to give both Luke and the blue-banded turtle more room to sleep, but their activity was impossible to hide completely. Leonardo trudged wearily into the kitchen for a drink of water at one point, and found Greg by the stove tending to some eggs, even while he hung up his cell-phone.

"You really ought leave the multi-tasking to the girls." He told the man with a worn smile.

"I just had to make that call while I was thinking about it. The test completely slipped my mind until I woke up this morning." Greg replied.

"You won't get into trouble for missing this phase of the run-through?"

"It's not a big deal to reschedule, and I'm not exactly up for dealing with the controls of a Gulfstream today. Don't worry, I'll get re-certified to fly, even if it takes me a whole year in between all the drama." He finished impishly, before giving Leonardo a more serious look. "You look wiped out Leo. You should get some_ real _sleep."

"I think I'm gonna have to, or they won't let me near Mikey today." Leonardo answered.

"You want something to eat first?"

The blue-banded turtle shook his head. "I'm not even hungry Heff - but thanks. Think I'm just gonna try and head upstairs again."

* * *

In the early afternoon, Brandon ventured his own way into Donatello's Lab, with somewhat of the same reaction that most people experienced upon seeing the room for the first time. His may have been a bit milder for the fact that he'd already seen the purple-banded turtle in action enough to know what he was capable of, but it was overwhelming nonetheless.

Raphael was propped up partially from behind, and turned his head to see who was coming into the room. Brandon hesitated for a moment in his step, casting a quick glance at Luke before going any further.

"I um....I don't want to intrude. If I shouldn't be here, just say so." Brandon said to the man.

Luke gave him a wry smile. "Just don't upset the patient, and keep it down to a dull roar."

Brandon's glance turned back to Raphael, and he found the turtle gazing at him expectantly.

"I was wondering when you'd come around." The turtle's voice was clearly still a little rough, but there was certainly more life in his eyes than the _last _time that Brandon had seen him.

"I wanted to, but I didn't want to overstep my boundaries." The man said honestly.

A sound similar to a snort escaped the turtle. "You're in our home, and you just got finished running through a rescue mission with my brothers. What boundaries would you be referring to?"

"No, yeah...I kind of figured that out. How are you feeling?"

"I'd say I've had worse, but I'd be lying." He answered. "Almost dying isn't fun. I don't recommend trying it."

"That's good advice." Brandon said lightly, and then scooted a desk chair closer to Raphael so that he could talk more quietly without the turtle being forced to strain to hear him. "Listen...I know there's something going on with you and Karina, and I don't see a point in pretending that I don't. I figured it would be easier to come right out and talk about it." He said calmly.

"Have you talked to her yet?" Raphael said a little evasively, trying to swallow the nerves that were rising up in his chest.

"No, not yet, and I'm not trying to come off as the over-protective older brother either. I've been out of the loop for _everything, _and I'm doing my best to catch up. If you're not ready to talk I understand, or if you're not feeling up to it. I just didn't want to put it off anymore because of my own nerves."

"Your nerves?" Raphael repeated a little incredulously. "How do you think _I _feel?"

"Like I said, you don't have t--"

Raphael raised a palm a couple of inches off the mattress to stop him from continuing. "It's okay. But what are you really asking me here?"

"Do you love her?"

"Yes." He answered softly, but without hesitation. "I don't expect you to like it, but I'm not gonna lie to you."

Brandon held out both arms a little helplessly. "I'm being expanded Raphael. I'm not trying to judge the situation, just get a handle on it. The impact you've had on her is obvious. When she first left California, I had no idea what was going on with her. She hadn't told me about our so called 'father' ripping her off...but I knew _something_ was going on. She was so...broken. She opened up to him, allowed herself to trust someone she should have been able to. Then he went and burned her, ended up stealing a portion of the only identity she had.

When she came to New York...she told me a couple of months later that it had been an effort to find herself again. Truth is, I think she'd spent so much of her life trying to please other people, that the real her never got to emerge to begin with. Deep stuff, I know." He said a little sarcastically. "I've had a lot of time to think over the last few weeks, and a lot of time to stew over what I _thought _was going on.

The truth may be stranger than I ever imagined, but it actually makes sense to me now. You've done something for her that I don't think anyone else ever has, including Kat and myself, to our own shame. You make her feel comfortable enough to be who she is, without having to pretend, without needing to work her tail off to do what's 'expected'.

I felt like she was changing, like there was something different about her every time that we talked on the phone. But I couldn't begin to put a finger on it, until you showed up at Marc's apartment that night."

"Uh...Sorry I had to get a little rough with ya." Raphael said evenly.

"You could have done a lot worse. You stopped me from leaving Raphael. I had a flight picked out, I wasn't going to stick around for even another twenty-four hours. Then you came."

"I suppose I did my job then." The turtle said with some satisfaction, and then met Brandon's gaze again. "No hard feelings?"

Brandon could have laughed. "No...No hard feelings. If I had that many issues with you, I would have taken them out on you back at the Brownstone." He said jokingly. "I'm sure it's the _only _chance I ever could have had to."


	73. Together

The day passed painfully slow for everyone underground, every hour feeling as if it dragged much longer than sixty minutes, as they waited for something to happen or to change. Early that evening Brandon and Karina lingered with Katherine who was still lying in her sister's room, on orders to to stay down with her back for the time being. It was the first time the three of them had been alone together, since Brandon had first stormed off from the Brownstone in Chelsea weeks ago.

There had already been some small talk, but now the man wanted to get to the real heart of why he was hanging around with both of them. He cleared his throat decisively, as he cast a glance between both his older and younger sister.

"I have to apologize." Brandon said evenly. "I jumped to conclusions earlier, and I didn't give you the chance to explain that you deserved. I'm sorry, I really am." He fixed on Karina for a moment before continuing. "To you especially. I said some things that I didn't mean, and completely regret. I'm still sort of waiting for everything to sink in, and start feeling real."

"It takes awhile." Karina offered. "And it's okay Brandon. I know where you were coming from. We've been unfair to you, _I've_ been unfair to you, in the way that I've kept so many things to myself. I was ashamed for a long time, about a lot of things...But I'm not anymore."

"I can see that, the difference that these last few months have made in you. I had certain suspicions based on the way Raph approached me in Marc's apartment, and I actually talked to him about it earlier today."

A somewhat stricken look passed through her light green eyes, making Brandon chuckle.

"The attack dog didn't come out Kari. I was only trying to find out where he stood for sure - and now I know."

"You do? What do you know?"

"That he's in love with you." He replied quite casually. "And if it could really be called a 'guess', I'd say you feel the same way."

She nodded at him slowly. "And you'd be correct."

* * *

Over the course of that day and overnight Donatello, Luke, and Marcus had evenly divided their time between Michelangelo, and the others had been free to come and go within measure as they pleased. But one of the three stayed constantly nearby, and it would stay that way until they received some sign that the turtle had made a real turn-around.

Marcus was the one present late that night to catch Michelangelo's increased lung function, and only considered waking the others for a few seconds before rationalizing that they'd want to know as soon as possible. He ducked his head out of the door of the Lab to call to Luke in the living area first, and then trotted down the hall to wake up Donatello. Luke took his own scan of the orange-masked turtle while he waited for the other two to return, easily coming to the same conclusion that Marc had about him.

"He's ready to come off the respirator Donny." Luke beamed at the turtle when he got there. "I think we should leave the other monitors intact right now to keep an eye on him, but at least we can get rid of that thing."

Donatello peered at the numbers on the machine that was indicating his brain activity. "Cerebral function is increasing too. I'd be surprised if he didn't come around in the next few hours."

Marcus saw the familiar look in Donatello's eyes, and shook his head at him. "You're right, it could still be hours yet, so I don't want you sitting here the rest of the night. The agreement is that you have to get rest, like everyone else."

Donatello grunted something under his breath, but didn't bother arguing with him. Luke would no doubt back up Marcus, and there would be no reasoning with both of them at the same time. It took awhile for him to fall back asleep in his own room, and he spent most of that awake time watching Jenna sleep instead. A smile tugged at his features as he resisted the urge to wake her up too. Morning would come soon enough - he just needed to calm down for the next few hours.

* * *

When Leonardo came around hours later, it was with a tinge of hope in his spirit, and a discernible change in the atmosphere of their home. The blue-banded turtle padded downstairs without delay, and found Luke just folding up a blanket in the living area. The man immediately flashed him a smile.

"Good morning. I've got good news on Mike - we were able to pull him off the respirator last night."

A relieved breath escaped the turtle before he could speak. "Has he acted like he might be coming around or anything?"

"Not yet, but I'm almost sure it'll happen today Leo. Donny's already waiting around, Marc managed to keep _him_ out of the Lab until about 5am. You're welcome to join him, but you should consider eating something first. Victoria's already working on some breakfast."

"I'm not the one you have to remind to eat." Leonardo said impishly, and Luke shook his head.

"I know. I'm about to force-feed Donny in a few minutes here."

Leonardo headed toward the kitchen anyway to satisfy the man, and had to smile when he saw Calley assisting Victoria inside. She met his gaze with a nod of her own.

"Hey. I hope you're here to eat, because the smell might drive you crazy otherwise. Victoria's pulling out all the stops this morning." She told him.

"Yeah, but I can wait. Take care of the docs and Donny first, they're the ones doing the work."

The blue-banded turtle pulled out a chair at the table, and talked with both women over the next couple of minutes, enjoying how they worked seamlessly together. "I haven't gotten to see you cook yet." He commented to Calley, and she threw another glance over her shoulder.

"I haven't done it in a long time. Just be glad I'm not in charge of anything important." She added with a light laugh.

Victoria flicked a dishtowel at her. "You don't forget skills like that - and I'm about to_ give _you something more important to do here."

Leonardo sat back silently to observe them again, marveling at how easily the two women were clicking together. _How is it possible to go from being strangers to practically family this quickly? _He had to wonder for the millionth time. He'd seen the process repeat itself for years, starting with April of course, but it still never ceased to amaze him.

Luke and Marcus entered the kitchen, interrupting the thought process that he was traveling through, and greeted him as they came to get seats of their own. Calley pulled their plates together first from what was already prepped, and then started a third one for Donatello when she'd finished. That was when Leonardo got back to his own feet.

"I'll take it to him." He offered, before Luke could say anything about it.

When he entered the Lab, his younger brother shoved away from the computer, and gave his chair a little spin so that he'd be facing Leonardo.

"Morning Leo. Something smells great from here."

"You _have_ to torture me, don't you?" Raphael complained across from them.

"You could be up for some of it I bet. Let me talk to Doc, and see what he says." Donatello encouraged him.

"Eat first Donny." Leonardo ordered him.

"Did anyone happen to make any--"

Before Donatello could finish the question, the door to the Lab popped open again, and Calley appeared a little sheepishly.

"Forgot the most important part, didn't I?" She offered, and held out a coffee mug for Leonardo to take from her, which he immediately turned over to Donatello.

"You're an angel." The purple-banded turtle called after her.

"Your welcome." She replied, hesitating a moment longer to give Leonardo another glance. "Do you want some tea?"

Color rose as the blue-banded turtle couldn't completely stop himself from grinning like an idiot under those brown eyes.

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"The usual? I'll have a plate for you in a minute too."

He nodded. "Thanks. You know where to find me."

As she left the room, he turned back around to face Donatello, who was _already_ gazing at him with crossed arms and a perplexing expression.

"What's that look for?" Leonardo asked.

"When did it happen Leo?"

"What are you talking about?"

That statement produced a laugh out of both of his younger brothers.

"Really Leo? We've both been exactly where you're standing right now - you think we can't see it?" Donatello informed him.

* * *

No one could separate the three turtles through the rest of the morning, as they caught up on what was going on underneath the surface of things. Leonardo had awkwardly recounted some of his and Calley's exchange, finishing with his ignorance as to how things should even proceed from there.

"Same thing you always say Fearless. One step at a time." Raphael volunteered. "Maybe there's a lot to deal with here, but you don't gotta figure everything out first. Just take it slow."

"I haven't talked to Tim yet," The turtle admitted. "I'm not sure what I'll say to him."

"Putting it off won't make it easier." Donatello pointed out.

"I know...I just need to bite the bullet." The blue-banded turtle replied.

"Well...since we're getting all personal here and everything, there's something I should probably tell you guys too." Raphael mentioned a little off hand, and waited until both brothers were looking at him before continuing. "I'm getting married."

"When did you ask her?" Leonardo instantly wanted to know.

"I didn't. Seems she was afraid I was gonna make her wait a decade, like someone else we know."

"It was not a decade!" Donatello countered.

"Pert near genius."

Morning turned into afternoon, and the red-masked turtle had finally been worn out by all the talking. He fell asleep on his side of the room, while Leonardo and Donatello continued to wait more quietly on the other. It was almost 2pm when the orange-masked turtle suddenly breathed a little deeper than he had been by reflex. It caught both of their attention at once, and they stiffened almost simultaneously.

Something that sounded a little like a grunt escaped him, right before the youngest turtle opened blue eyes that were slightly dazed, and didn't seem to immediately take in his surroundings.

"Mikey?" Leonardo asked a little breathlessly.

He blinked for the first time, and seemed to focus on the older turtle. "Where are we?" His throat was raw from being intubated with the respirator, so that he didn't have a whole lot of a voice.

"Home." Leonardo reassured him. "You're home Mike, everybody is."

Donatello was at his side an instant later, trying to get him to drink something. As much as Michelangelo wanted it, even the act of swallowing was a difficult one. He lightly squeezed Donatello's hand back when his brother gripped his, and then his gaze faltered between both brothers.

"Took you long enough." The orange-masked turtle remarked.

"I'm sorry Mike, we wanted to get there faster." Leonardo apologized quickly, but was only met by a weary smile.

"Don't take me so literal." The turtle whispered, finding that it was easier than speaking louder. "Where's Raph? Is he okay?"

"He almost wasn't." Donatello said honestly. "But he made it. He's here too, see him across the room?"

A small nod was his only response this time, as Donatello moved into more of a medical mode, wanting to test his reflexes and other functions.

"You said everybody's safe?" Michelangelo verified, as his brother was focusing on one of his pupils with a penlight.

"Yes, they are." Donatello answered. "No more talking, okay? Save your breath, and save yourself some pain. We've got plenty of time to catch up, we don't have to get everything out right this second."

The turtle shut his mouth, but offered Leonardo another smile when he felt his older brother's arm.

"We missed you Mikey. I'm really glad you're back."

"Thanks guys." He replied, ignoring the 'no talking' rule for long enough to utter those words.


	74. Letting Go

The mood drastically altered in the Den from the moment that Michelangelo woke up, as everyone finally felt the freedom to be relieved and at ease again. Luke had spent a good amount of time with the orange-masked turtle to convince himself that he was completely stable, before letting him get back to just resting. That night was the first one since everyone had been home that he actually spent with Katherine, instead of on the couch in the living area.

As he laid down beside her on the double bed in Karina's room, he gave the woman a lingering glance that told her he was considering something hard in the back of his mind.

"What are you thinking?" She asked him.

"About the Brownstone Kat. I think it's time to unload the thing."

"Aw Luke...Are you sure you want to do this? That was your parents' place, you all worked so hard on it..."

"My parents are dead, and holding onto the house won't change that. That stupid gang is still out there, and they know where we live. It's not safe for us, it's not safe for the turtles, and it won't be safe for our baby. I don't need that place to remember my parents by. I love that house, I probably always will. But I love everyone else (and _living_) a whole lot more.

I've given it a lot of thought over the last couple of days, and you know what? Part of me doesn't even want to set foot back in there, to see the spot where Raphael almost bled to death. I just want to let it go. Is that okay? Can we walk away, and not even bother dragging our feet about it?"

She nodded, and reached up to draw his chin closer to face her. "I'm sorry Luke. This was your dream--"

"It was my parents dream, for all three of us together. But I'm not in that frame of mind anymore, and haven't been for a very long time."

"I understand hon...and the rational side of me agrees of course. That house isn't safe anymore, and it hasn't _felt_ safe since Raph was kidnapped last year. So you want to get it listed?"

"Just priced to move, I don't want a long drawn out ordeal. The only question is what we'll do for living arrangements on the flip side. This isn't the most convenient time to move for the baby's sake."

"It'll be alright Luke, we'll find some place. Maybe back in the downtown sector - there are plenty of lofts that could probably suit us well."

Luke nodded, but she could tell he was still saddened. "It's not all about my parents you know." He said wistfully. "The guys love that place, it sort of gave them a sense of normality. Donny and Jen, Raph and Karina, they all had some special times there."

"But that's not so much about the location, as it was each other." Katherine pointed out. "And the same goes for us. Without you in it, that place would have meant very little to me. So long as we have each other, I know we'll be happy, no matter where we are."

The man embraced her carefully, and leaned over to kiss her.

"Letting it go is the brave thing to do." She assured him. "We can make a home anywhere."

"As long as we're together." He finished for her again, and cast a glance at the ceiling. "I am ready to let it rest in peace, along with my folks Katherine. It's been long enough."

* * *

It was a little after 10pm when Leonardo started to head for the stairs, but his glance was drawn in the direction of Calley's room instead, or what _had _been Calley's room. She'd been staying upstairs in Mike's room ever since her father had come down. Tim wasn't actually up to moving around much, which made the man simple to avoid. But Leonardo had put it off too long already.

Slowly he walked down the hall, his feet a little heavier than normal as he trudged along. Tim could very well be asleep, but it was worth checking in on him at least. The door wasn't closed entirely, it had been left ajar a couple of inches by the last person in there. Leonardo pushed it open a little further experimentally, and saw the man in question leaning heavily against the wall behind the bed, typing away on one of Donatello's laptops.

"That had better not be work." Leonardo started sardonically, and Tim glanced up at him swiftly.

"Sort of." He admitted. "I've got a couple of guys waiting on their evaluations, and they won't get their raises until I finish the paperwork."

"And no one else can evaluate them?"

"No one as nice as me." He answered tongue-in-cheek, making the blue-masked turtle smile. "C'mon in, sit down why don't you?"

Leonardo came to rest in a hard-backed chair, and made himself face Timothy squarely. "Sorry I've been steering clear of you, I just feel really weird about things right now. Calley said that you know that certain feelings are out there."

Tim nodded. "I had my suspicions from talking to her over the last couple of weeks, and when I heard you refer to her...I realized she wasn't the only one who felt something."

"Tim, I didn't do this on purpose, I mean, I didn't plan for it." He stumbled slightly.

"That isn't usually how it works Leonardo."

"No, what I'm saying is, I never expected to fall for her, or for anything to happen. I know everything is complicated enough, that she needs to focus on getting better and re-joining the human race. I don't want to hurt her or push her away, but I don't want to be a stumbling block either."

"Leonardo, do you think you're standing in _my_ way?" Tim asked unexpectedly.

"I don't know what you mean."

"We're all here by choice." He answered. "And none of us would ever accuse any of you of holding us back, or ruining our plans. Just the opposite actually. I don't know the right way to go forward here anymore than you do. But I don't think taking _away_ her options is the answer."

"Then what are you saying Tim? That you _want_ me to pursue something with her? That you're okay with the thought of your little girl surrendering herself to one of us, effectively cutting herself off from the rest of the world most of the time?"

"I'm telling you not to do anything based off of fear or obligation. I know you feel it's your duty to do what's best for her...But have you considered the possibility that you're what's best?"

Leonardo shrugged his shoulders in a completely uncomfortable fashion.

"It doesn't even surprise me that something happened." Tim added with a sudden grin.

"Why's that Tim?"

"Let's consider the track record. Jenna...Karina? Anytime that an eligible woman steps foot into this Den for an extended amount of time, she's bound to fall for one of you." He said teasingly, making the blue-masked turtle color a little.

"That's not true." He stated. "What about April?"

"You guys got into the 'friend zone' with her right on the spot, you were all too young to do anything serious." Tim couldn't help chuckling again as Leonardo ducked his head.

"I can't believe you're so calm about this."

"What, I'm supposed to be upset? Leo, there isn't anyone on the planet I'd trust with her more than you. Then again, there's Mike too." He finished mischievously, as Leonardo's head shot back up.

"That's not happening." He said before he could stop himself, making Tim laugh again.

"Whatever you do Leo, it doesn't need to be rash. Calley's a smart girl...She does know how to make up her mind about things."

"And you?" Leonardo ventured. "You'd really be okay if we..."

"Do you honestly think I'd hang around here this often if I wasn't okay with all of you? If it makes both of you happy, why would I be against it?"

"I can think of a pretty obvious reason."

"Stop it Leo." Timothy said firmly. "She's already a part of this strange extended clan that we somehow treat like a family. What did you think would happen, that she'd walk out that door and forget you?"

"I don't know."

"It sounds like you're only concerned with her side of this. What about you Leo? Is this what you want?"

The blue-banded turtle rubbed his forehead a little self-consciously. "Besides the mutation that made all of us possible, she's the most spectacular thing that's ever happened to me."

"I have an inkling that she feels that same way." Tim replied.

* * *

When Leonardo left Tim's room, he was a little surprised to almost walk directly into another shape out in the darkened hallway.

"Sorry Vic." He apologized. "I didn't know anyone else was up."

"Just checking on the patient." She said with a small twinkle in her eye. "Have a good talk?"

Leonardo nodded, before bracing a hand slightly against the wall. "Is this crazy?" He asked her suddenly. "All the indicators say it's the wrong time. But I don't want to walk away."

Victoria didn't say anything immediately. "Leonardo, I think you have a hard time letting the focus come to rest on yourself period. You're constantly aware and concerned with everything going on around you, to the point that you've never even dreamed of having a taste of what Donatello and Raphael have. I don't think it'll be easy, but I don't think you're crazy either. I believe that you deserve this, and you don't need to be ashamed for wanting it."

His head dropped a couple of inches, as she hit on the exact emotion that was really coursing through him.

"Let something great and unexpected happen to you Leonardo. Who cares if you have all the steps figured out in advance? That's not the way love works - it isn't a chess game." She finished pointedly.


	75. Deserving

Michelangelo slept mostly over the course of the day, waking only for a few minutes at a time. By the morning after that one, the orange-masked turtle was more up to talking, and actually pretty eager to recount what had happened in their separation.

"What I really want to know is, how the shell did you convince that guy that you were one of the Shitenno?" Was Leonardo's first question.

Michelangelo laughed right away. "That was easy Fearless. He convinced _himself _of that, all I had to do was play along."

"You've gotta be kidding me." Raphael piped up from beside him. Once Mike had come around they'd gotten his bed moved adjacent to his brothers', to be more conducive for conversation. "How in the world did you play along with that?"

Michelangelo gave him a half smile. "It's not that hard to make somebody buy something that they already believe."

His blue-eyed gaze turned suddenly to include Donatello in the exchange. "As hard as it is to believe, that wasn't the best part of all of it. That girl of yours' is something else Donny. If we had five of her, we probably could have broken out all on our own."

"All she referred to was her 'ill-fated escape attempt'. What really happened Mikey?" Donatello had to ask.

"Get her in here. You deserve to hear the whole story from her mouth."

"I should have known you'd make a big deal out of it." Jenna complained to the orange-masked turtle once she'd joined them. "What _happened_ is that I nearly got you killed."

"They weren't trying to kill me though, they didn't know the sedative would do that." Mike scoffed. "C'mon Jen, tell it. You tell them or I will."

"You're ridiculous." She proclaimed, but couldn't help smiling too. "But I'm so happy to see you up, I'd probably do anything you asked right now."

"Well in that case..." He trailed off teasingly.

"Alright, the story." Jenna interrupted resolutely. "The truth is that I overreacted to something my handler said, and it kicked off my little escape attempt."

"I'm sorry, your _handler_?" Donatello repeated the odd choice of word.

"That's what I call the guy who decided that he owned me." She said matter-a-factly, and literally saw the heat rising in the purple-banded turtle's cheeks. "He didn't touch me Donny, at least, not that way. Not to say he wouldn't have, he just didn't get the chance."

When she started telling it from the beginning, his own anger was replaced laughter, that was also shared by his brothers.

"I can only imagine... him waking back up in those handcuffs." Donatello could barely get the words out between breathes. "And his own guys finding him that way!"

"I didn't expect you to like it." She said honestly, cocking her head questioningly at him.

"On the record, no, I'd rather you had just waited. But in many ways, you sort of made things easier for us."

"Yeah, how's that?" She demanded.

"Think about it for a second. Your attempt got the three of you relegated to the basement, the easiest possible place for us to retrieve you from." Leonardo pointed out.

"And Kari told me something one of the other guys down there said," Raphael added. "They doubled the size of that team going to meet Kat and Heff, when they found out that it wasn't safe to sedate us. You heard that, didn't you? That made things simpler on them when they got in too."

She shook her head, but had never taken her eyes off Michelangelo. "I'm sorry. I never wanted you to get hurt, I never meant for that to happen."

"Jen." He said slightly reproachfully. "You tried something, and it didn't work completely. You live, you learn...and now you get to relax." He finished impishly, and held out an arm toward her.

She hugged the turtle fiercely, unable to keep tears from rising even along with real smile she hadn't been able to release for days. "You're a good brother Mikey."

"And you're an honorary shell-kicker." He grinned back.

* * *

Around mid-afternoon, Calley came to find Leonardo in the living area, and he jolted a little out of reflex when her fingers rested on the back of his neck. He glanced over his shoulder at her with a smile.

"You've been told not to sneak up on a ninja." He proclaimed the expected line.

"As if you didn't hear me?"

"Hearing and touching are two different things Calley." He remarked.

She crossed around the couch in front of him, and sat down in an adjacent chair with a different smile altogether. "I was wondering if I could take you somewhere tonight." She said without further delay. "It would require a bit of a road trip."

"A road trip?"

"There's someplace I've been wanting to go, that I haven't seen in a long time. And I'd like it if you came."

Leonardo was intrigued, and not interested in refusing her. "Sure, if you want. Where are we going?"

"I'll keep that to myself for now, if you don't mind. So we can head out when it gets dark?"

"Whatever you say Calley - you're driving this train."

When Calley had procured the keys to Luke's Volvo from the man that evening, she then returned to the kitchen to grab the small cooler and a couple of bags. The blue-banded turtle instantly took them from her, and gave her what he imagined was an imploring glance.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll find out. You're not afraid to get into a car with me I hope. It's been awhile, but I still remember how to drive." She finished with a wry smile.

He chuckled. "Just don't get pulled over, okay? Don't those licenses have to be renewed every few years or something?"

"Yeah, and what driver's license do _you_ have?"

"You've got me there." He had to admit.

* * *

Calley drove them south of the city itself, following the curve of what had to be the coastline. A little over an hour had passed, with neither of them saying a tremendous amount. Leonardo caught the young woman sneaking furtive glances at him out of the corner of her eye, but that was only because he was doing the exact same thing. She met his gaze shyly for the dozenth time, and pointed to a sign on the side of the road in front of them.

"We're almost there - I have to take a round-about route, to this more secluded stretch. I figure we're not hoping for company."

There was a mounted GPS unit, but he'd noticed that she never once bothered with it, or even a map for that matter. She drove the roads and even cut through a couple of unmarked ones with all the self-assurance of a driver who knew exactly where they were going.

"I grew up out here, close to this area." She commented. "I was always a Jersey girl."

"We're close to the water, aren't we?"

"It's called Raritan Bay. There are a lot of nice beaches around here, but one place in particular...well, it's easier to show you."

It only took about five more minutes for her to whip their way around a couple more turns, and end up at a piece of beach-line where he could make out the dark water closer than he'd seen it yet. The turtle pulled his coat tighter a little protectively, while Calley parked the car, and then glanced at him.

"Okay. There will be somewhat of a hike from here, but I know you're up to it."

The smell of the sea hit the blue-banded turtle the moment he opened his door, and it only deepened when the breeze whipped up around him. His senses were still on the normal high alert that was instinctive whenever they were on the surface, as he immediately scoped out the possibility of others being in the area. But the beach was quiet, indeed cut off as almost a secret hide-away, unless someone knew how to navigate the confusing back roads.

Calley reached for his free hand that wasn't carrying anything as if to get the turtle moving again, who hadn't really noticed how long he'd been standing in that one spot. It was only a few steps before there was sand beneath his feet, a comfortingly cool sensation that was so unlike the pavement Leonardo was used to. He'd felt sand before of course, but never in a setting like this, with someone like _her_.

The young woman was pulling him lightly in the direction of an incline. The sound of silence, of nothing but the wind and waves surrounded them as they climbed, adding to the feeling of general stillness and peace of the atmosphere. Calley stopped near what was a large flat rock at the top, hesitating on the precipice of the hill. She motioned to the turtle wordlessly, and he caught his breath a little when he saw the partial view of the New York City skyline.

"This was our special place, where my parents would often bring me when I was growing up...Before everything changed. I can't tell you how many times I've looked at that skyline. From here it seemed so far removed when I was a kid, almost like another world entirely. As I got older it became the dream, the symbol of hope in the back if my head that there was more out there, and someday I'd find it."

Leonardo didn't say anything, sensing that she wasn't finished.

"Then what was hope turned into emptiness. It was the knowledge that I was breaking, that everything I'd been sure about in my life was shifting. Except for my father that is. But at the time, my rational was truly that he'd be better off without me, because of how I thought I'd pushed my Mom away from him."

Leonardo exhaled softly as she leaned against his shoulder, causing her own scent to mingle with the elements around them. "And now?"

"I've heard people talk about starting over Leo, of being 'reborn' as it were. I didn't understand what that meant, at least until now. The ugliness, the bitterness inside me was weighing me down, making it so hard to breathe. But when I let her go, when I made the effort to forgive my Mom, regardless of what I felt she deserved...It was like being able to exhale for the first time in as long as I could remember. And then giving in to you..." She trailed off for a moment, turning her gaze back to focus on him. "I'm not running from you, I don't know if I even have the strength to. But there are things that I have to do. I looked up a local chapter of Narcotics Anonymous, and I'm going to join. I want to start taking some classes too, so I can get my GED.

I'm happy, just being here with you. There's nowhere else that I want to be...But I have to make something of myself Leonardo. I have this feeling that I'll never be satisfied or free to...to actually love you, until I make these changes."

"They're good things for you to be doing Calley, but you need to recognize something too, and it goes back to what we talked about weeks ago. Don't approach counseling or schooling as if they're your ticket to 'earning' your way into being worthy. You'll never be satisfied if you live under that mindset. In fact, you'll never be satisfied until you can believe that all of us already love you, right where you're at."

Her body trembled slightly with emotion as the tearful question she really wanted to ask came up. "Can you really bear with me through all this?"

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll back off if you ask me to, but otherwise, you're kind of stuck with me." He answered with a smile, and then relaxed more than he had yet, as both her arms went around his neck, and she kissed him.

"Would that everyone were that lucky." She told him.


	76. Reassurance

When they arrived back at the Den that night, it was quiet, and there was no one in sight. After bidding Calley a good night, the blue-banded turtle eyed the stair-case after her for a few seconds, before deciding to do something else. He carefully bypassed his purple-banded brother who was asleep on the couch. It wasn't necessary to keep the other two turtles under a 24 hour watch anymore, but that kind of anxiety was hard to let go of. Staying close to the Lab seemed to give Donatello the same sense of security that it often provided Luke.

Leonardo walked into the mostly darkened Lab, expecting to find them asleep. But the moment he stepped foot in the door, his youngest brother's head popped up cheerfully.

"Hey." Mike called in a barely audible whisper, trying not to wake Raphael in the bed next to him. "You're back. Did ya have fun?"

Leonardo nodded, even as he motioned for him to be even quieter. "Yeah, it was incredible, but I can tell you about it later. Why are you still up, are you okay?"

"Oh sure," The orange-masked turtle reassured him. "I mean, I can only sleep so much." He said jokingly, referring to the fact that he'd spent a lot of time under already. "You're happy, aren't you Leo?" He asked unexpectedly.

A little perplexed, Leonardo ducked down closer to him so that they could hear each other better. "Yes, I am Mike. There's _a lot _of things to be happy about right now, not the least of which that everyone is home and safe."

"And you're enjoying yourself with Calley?"

Leonardo gave him a look as the older turtle rested both arms on his brother's mattress. "Listen, I want you to know that she's not moving in here, at least, not now. She needs to help take care of her Dad, and she has a lot of catching up to do on the surface between records and schooling. I don't want things to get weird for anyone either."

"What's weird?" Michelangelo asked. "You think we didn't see this coming?"

"Well, it's..." Leonardo hesitated, not sure how to say what he really wanted to. "So many things have been changing, you know with Donny, and Raph. And now with me too--"

"Oh shell." Michelangelo interrupted him before he could finish the statement. "Please tell me she isn't staying down here just because of _me_."

"That isn't it Mikey, honest. She has a lot of things to accomplish, and we want to take things slowly. Being together doesn't require living together. Down the road...we'll see what happens. But I can't help thinking of you, you ought know that. These last few months, we've been in it together."

"We're still in it together Leo. Jen and Karina didn't change that, and Calley won't either. I really can handle having three sisters." He replied with a hint of humor, although he meant it seriously. "I'm okay Fearless. I've got what I need."

His blue eyes seemed to brighten somewhat, as he offered his brother another smile. "Through this whole thing, I _was_ scared, but it was mostly because of the girls. I didn't know where they were, or what was happening to them. But I wasn't afraid of what they'd do to me. I knew you guys would be there as soon as you could, that you'd get us out."

Leonardo gave him a faint smile of his own. "There was a short while there where I had a taste of what you went through in Dayton Mike. You were gone, Raph was hanging on by a thread, and Donny was dealing with his own stuff."

"What stuff? I didn't know he got hurt at all."

"Stubborn shell-head gave me too much of his blood." Raphael murmured aloud without opening his eye, but then sat up slightly on his arms. "What time is it?"

"Late, or early depending on how you look at it." Leonardo replied. "Sorry, we shouldn't have woken you up."

The amber eyed turtle yawned. "Why dontcha just grab genius, and we can make a party out of it."

"Yeah, that'd go over well with Doc." Mike snickered. "He'll be posting a sentry to keep people out next."

Leonardo chuckled softly. "He needs his sleep, and so do you guys. I'm going to go my way, and let you get back to it."

"Sure, now that I'm up, you wanna bail. Do you have any idea how bored I am?" The red-masked turtle complained. "I mean, he's over here sleepin' twenty-three hours a day, and won't even entertain me." Raphael added with a nod at Michelangelo.

"It's a wonder I sleep at all next to you and your snoring." Mike quipped in return.

"That's bull, and you know it. Tell him Leo - we shared a room all those years."

"I'm staying out of this one guys, try not to kill each other, alright? Don't make me come back and separate you." The blue-banded turtle replied.

Raphael and Michelangelo were quiet for a couple of minutes after Leonardo left, each acting as if they were trying to go back to sleep.

"I was worried about you." Raphael said suddenly aloud, as if it were a confession.

When he didn't elaborate right away, Michelangelo turned on his side so that he'd be facing him better. "Aw, really Raph?" He asked in the sweetest voice possible.

"Don't kid around, it wasn't funny." The red-banded turtle insisted. "Laying on that floor, knowing all of you were disappearing...And there wasn't a _dang_ thing I could do about it. I thought that was the last time I'd see any of you."

Michelangelo looked at the wall rather than at his brother for a few seconds. "I thought about you too, and wondered if they had...you know. But then, I didn't want to accept it or try to face it until I had to. You shell's harder to crack than they bargained for."

"That's the scariest part out of all of it Mikey, they had me on the ropes. I shouldn't be alive. If she'd taken two seconds to finish me properly, there would have been nothing anyone coulda done for me." A tinge of real emotion came out with his voice this time, making Michelangelo reach an arm toward him. "And when everything did go dark, it didn't stay that way. I saw that guy Blackford like he was right in front of me again, and...and..."

Michelangelo gripped his arm a little tighter when his voice trembled slightly. "You don't have to talk about this."

Hesitating for those seconds only seemed to help the emotion build stronger.

"I saw Stolle, and I swear I could almost feel him cutting that transmitter out of my arm. I don't know why it was so hard to see, except that it was like remembering it for the first time." The red-banded turtle shut his eyes with a shaky breath. "And I don't want to remember anything else. Sometimes I'm afraid to close my eyes, because it means I'll fall asleep and see them again. That I'll remember more of the stuff that Kari kept telling me wasn't worth going through again, even out of curiosity. And it's all stupid - Stolle's finished, he's dead. But I still don't want to remember it."

Hot tears of shame rose with the words, to the point that he wouldn't look at Michelangelo anymore. The turtle gave him a little time to try and compose himself, but then tugged on his arm again.

"Raph, you don't have to hide this junk, and you don't need to be ashamed of it. You haven't even told anyone what you saw, have you?"

He shook his head silently.

"Being strong still doesn't mean you can carry everything alone. You've got enough muscle, you could probably lug your weights up and down the stairs all day without a problem. But it'd wear you out eventually Raph. You'd get tired, strain something, maybe even hurt yourself. You went through something that's bigger than any of us can understand. You suffered, and him being dead, it doesn't change that. If memories are coming back to you for real, now's really not the time to stand on your own."

Raphael's features had already relaxed somewhat, enough to give Michelangelo an exasperated look. "And that's all good and fine, as long as you can be serious for more than five minutes at a time. And you'd better not tell anyone I cried." He said a little gruffly, if only to reinforce his true persona again.

"Your secret's safe with me Raphy." Mike said with a toothy grin.

"What about you?" Raphael asked him. "When you were out of it, did you see anything?"

Michelangelo shook his head. "You mean like you and the forest, Sensei helping you come back? No, it wasn't like that. I can't remember anything that happened after that shot knocked me out. It was like being completely lost, that is..." He trailed off as something else occurred to him. "But there was one thing, right before I saw Leo here in the Lab. I was trapped in something that felt like a dream, and even when I opened my eyes, at first I was still inside of it.

There was this river, and the water was moving really fast. I was caught inside it, and I couldn't get out. I wasn't that scared of drowning, but there was still this terror in the back of my mind, like somebody else was in trouble. Only I didn't know who. When I got dragged under again I saw a person, but never could see their face. I don't know if they even had one. I wanted to help them, get them back to the surface. But when I tried to swim, it was almost like I'd forgotten how, and I couldn't reach them." Michelangelo paused, and then shrugged. "And that was when I realized that Leo was in front of me, and he told me where I was. Weird, huh?"

"I dunno Mikey, I've probably heard a lot weirder."

* * *

The two turtles did eventually go back to sleep, neither of them so much as stirring when Donny checked on them a little after 6 in the morning, or when Luke came in a few minutes later. It wasn't until mid-morning when the smell of someone else's food nearby called Raphael back to reality.

Amber eyes slid open about half-way, and then he focused in on Greg sitting at the desk with Leonardo. "Hope you brought enough to share." He mumbled a little sleepily, and Greg pushed away from the desk with a wide smile.

"I thought that would bring you around, if anything could. Luke said you'd be ready to eat something more real, but I want to show you something first." The man told him.

The turtle craned his neck to get a better look at Greg. "What is it Heff? What were you two looking at?"

Greg pulled a familiar likeness off the top of the stack on the desk, which Raphael recognized right away. It was the same rendering Katherine had done for him weeks prior, upon his description of one of the victims that first night that he and Leonardo had met the Akiudo.

"You remember her, right Raph?"

"Yeah, of course."

Then he reached over to grab what was a real photograph this time, and put it in Raphael's hand. "This is a copy, taken by officers a couple of days ago, of victims recovered from that complex of theirs'." Greg explained to him, as the turtle stared hard at the woman's face. "You guys did it Raph." He said softly. "You found them."

"I didn't do any of it." He responded.

"_You_ put a face on this girl. Because of you, the cops already knew she was missing, and endangered. Now she's safe, along with all the others that were inside the building itself. Donny's been working on pin-pointing their 'buyers' from the information he took off the hard drive. He's getting all the evidence consolidated into a concise file for the police to follow up on. He should be finished with it today, and I'll make sure that it ends up in the right hands. There are other girls out there, and now we're going to find them too."

Raphael grinned tiredly, and nodded his head. For the first time in the last few weeks, he felt completely satisfied.


	77. Heaven & Hell

(Two Months Later)

Leonardo exhaled deeply as he climbed out of the back of the Battle Shell, taking in the air that felt like freedom itself to breathe. It was still dark now, but he could only imagine what this place would be like in the daylight.

"Yo Leo! Are you gonna let the rest of us get outta here, or what?" Raphael called in exasperation after a few seconds had passed.

The blue-banded turtle immediately darted away from the back doors, giving the others room to get out of the van, and grinned at Jenna as she crossed around from the front with the hood from her sweatshirt drawn up over her head.

"So are you tired now?" He teased her lightly. "You didn't have to do all the driving."

"We didn't want you guys to have to waste any daylight _sleeping_." Calley pointed out from behind the turtle, shivering slightly in the pre-dawn chill that still clung to the air around them. "Besides, it gave Jen and me some private time to talk about things."

Leonardo shook his head as she leaned into his embrace. "I'd ask what that means, but I'm probably better off not knowing."

The slamming doors of the accompanying Avalanche and Jeep joined the sound of their voices, and Luke jogged over to meet the rest of them by the Battle Shell. "We're all set guys, the Lodge is waiting for us."

"Luke, what about those two smaller cabins we passed on the way in?" Calley had to ask.

"I bought them out for the weekend too." He assured her. "The rest of the property is private, no one's supposed to be on it unless they're renting one of the units. This was the one of the most secluded areas I could find, after a good deal of research."

"Thanks for going to the trouble Doc." Raphael said evenly. "I know it means a lot to Karina, though she'd be happy to do it anywhere I bet."

"It means a lot to _all_ of us." Donatello grunted as he lugged a couple of bags over his shoulder, including one that contained the heavy equipment of his telescope.

"Are we planning on going in before the sun rises?" Michelangelo suggested from behind him. "I'm not sure if you'll make it Donny, what with all the stuff you brought."

"Look who's talking pipsqueak." Raphael shot back. "You loaded more in here than anyone."

"Do you want to eat or not Raph?" The orange-masked turtle grinned, and then laughed at how fast that got his older brother lined up to help.

"Give me one of those Donny." Leonardo urged his brother, and slung one of the bags over his own back, while Calley and Jenna moved to help with the rest of Mike's "contribution".

Leonardo's arm went partially around his younger brother's shell as they started up the incline toward the lodge. "Will you be able to see some good stuff this weekend?"

Donatello's excited smile was almost too much for Leonardo. Seeing the purple-masked turtle practically giddy was a rare treat. "I've been looking forward to this for weeks."

"Not only for the astronomy I hope." Jenna commented, as she caught up with the two of them. "I'm expecting to see you outside of the telescope sometime besides daylight." She added teasingly.

"I won't go overboard, I swear." He replied. "It's just that this weekend and this location fall into perfect alignment with the height of the meteor shower. We'll be able to see things from here that we _never_ could have seen in the city."

She laughed softly. "I'm only giving you a hard time Donny. I'm not about to spoil your fun."

Everyone had been settled in for a couple of hours into the Lodge, when the four turtles couldn't resist going for a run any longer.

"Now there's not supposed to be anyone on the surrounding grounds, but the same might not hold true for the forest and the lake. Don't get complacent out there." Luke warned them.

"We're ninjas Doc, we practice the art of invisibility." Mike said importantly.

"Where've I heard that before?" The man replied sarcastically. "Just a reminder."

"We'll be careful Doc." Leonardo reassured him, and motioned over his shoulder for his brothers to follow him, using only thin cloaks to provide partial camouflage with their surroundings.

They'd gotten as much sleep on the way up to Saranac Lake as they could, but their combined excitement had made it difficult to _stay _asleep. While they knew they couldn't let their guard all the way down even here, the sense of freedom that came from simply keeping up with one another on the worn path that wound directly through the trees was exhilarating.

Michelangelo had the hardest time containing it, finally sprinting ahead of Leonardo and Raphael. Donatello stayed just barely on his shell, while Mike didn't officially try to outpace him. The two older turtle's pace remained steady, though not quite at the rate of the other two at that moment. The blue-masked turtle wanted to take enough time to drink in everything around him, and Raphael was content to jog along beside him.

Where patches of sky were visible through the canopy of trees it was a brilliant blue, contrasting sharply with the changing leaves of the trees.

The faintest of breezes trailed along their backs, not causing more than a breath of disturbance among the branches. On the path ahead of them Donny and Mike had escaped their view for that minute, having raced off on an alternate route that forked away from the path they'd been traveling.

Leonardo was just starting to wonder where they'd disappeared to, when his youngest brother's whoop carried across the distance that separated them. Raphael rolled his eyes at once.

"Forget invisibility - the real miracle is that he ever shuts up at all." He snorted.

Without warning, their younger brothers were doubling back to find them, faint flashes of their signature colors announcing their presence before they tumbled back out onto the main path.

"C'mon you guys, you wanna see this." Michelangelo urged, only slightly breathless.

The two older turtles exchanged a swift smile, but then followed them at a faster pace up the break-away narrower path. It took a little more agility to avoid branches on the smaller passage, but their feet remained sure over the dirt, tree roots, and rocks without difficulty. Under the younger boys' guidance they were led to the edge of the tree-line, to what turned out to be the crest of a hill.

Michelangelo pulled up short, and the moved to the side to allow the others access to get through too. The sight that welcomed them on the other side of the trees was a completely clear sky, mirrored in the water of the lake below in a way that made the scene look almost too perfect to be real. Mountain rose in the slight distance, dotted with the changing colors of Fall, mingling together as if they'd been physically painted to achieve the effect.

None of them spoke for a few moments, as they simply stood still to take it all in together. The warmth of the sun beat down on them a little more effectively now that they were out of the shadows of the trees, so that even the cloaks didn't feel necessary except for the possibility of needing to be disguised.

Donatello's arms were folded silently across his plastron, but he turned Michelangelo's direction when he felt his blue eyes on him.

"D'you think this is what Heaven feels like?" The younger turtle asked him.

"I don't know. But I could sure live with a little more of it." Donatello replied.

* * *

The door to the room that Marcus was bunking in along with Tim and Greg was partially ajar, and Luke made a small knock as he poked his head inside, specifically looking for the man. The other doctor was the only one in the room right then, stretched out with his laptop in front of him. When he noticed Luke he instantly shut the computer, making his friend more than a little curious.

"Hey, what are you up to? Not working I hope." Luke said at once.

"Um...no, not really. It's just for some...research."

"Sounds like _work _to me." Luke grinned, but then caught sight of the book that was lying on the floor by Marcus' bed. "What's this sudden interest you've taken in the Congo Marc? I know I've seen you with that book a few times now."

"It's just curiosity, research." Marcus stumbled slightly, as he yanked the text off of the floor.

"Why don't you tell me what's actually going on here?" Luke persisted.

"I didn't want to say anything until I had some word back." Marcus replied. "Do you remember back in med school, when I was on that serious kick about wanting to serve in another country?"

"Doctors without Borders." Luke filled in. "I remember. You started the process of applying to go overseas."

"And my parents put the nail in that coffin, swore they'd cut off all funding from my tuition. I let it go then, but it's never really escaped me Luke. I've been taking an in depth look at the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially in the stuff that's been happening there recently. There's a mountainous region called the Hauts Plateaux, and since February of this year over 10,000 people have been forced to flee from all these remote mountain communities, that don't even contain real roads. Now they've been trapped because of conflict raging between the Congolese army, rebels, and other armed militias.

The violence against innocent civilians is frequent, and it's also serving as a constant threat that's stopping them from getting to local hospitals when they need them. Many of the injured and sick are too afraid to even attempt the trip. Doctors without Borders is the only organization currently zeroed in on that area, mostly stationed at the hospitals.

But now they've been moving into the more isolated areas, trying to treat displaced families right where they're at. People are dying because they're trapped Luke, losing limbs they never should have had to. Story after story I've come across, and it's become like a fire burning inside me. It would only be on a temporary basis if I went, that is, if they accept me. My orthopedic specialty would be in high demand, but they have to consider my own medical history as a factor along with the skills I bring in."

"You're afraid that your asthma could hinder you from being accepted?" Luke clarified.

Marcus nodded his head slowly. "I have to be able to prove to them that I'm well-controlled on medication, and of course there are other vigorous tests they'd want to put me through, vaccinations and the like. That is_ if _they're willing to even consider whether or not I can join a team to begin with."

"You've talked to April about this?"

"Absolutely. I was going to talk to you too, I was just waiting for the right time, when I'd heard something definite. I'm still looking for the response as to whether or not they want me to start testing, or if they're going to tell me to go jump in a lake."

"This is serious stuff Marc. You'd basically be working in a war-zone." Luke said quietly, unable to keep the worry completely out of his voice.

"I know." Marcus said simply. "But I can't get away from it, and I think there's a reason that it keeps coming back to mind. I'm not like the guys, or Kat, or Greg...even Tim. I feel like I could no sooner defend someone's life than I could pull my _own_ tail out of trouble. But I can keep someone from dying. I can save the leg that they were going to lose. I can help give some hope back to someone who didn't have any left.

People might call me crazy. If my parents or whoever wants to get mad at me, I can deal with that. What I can't do is ignore the call in the back of my mind anymore."

* * *

*** For the record, everything that Marcus said about the state of the Hauts Plateaux in the Congo is 100% true and current news. Why am I telling you this? I'm sure you can figure that out by now.**


	78. Provocation

*** Only a couple more chapters to go...but I figured we have time for a little more fun, right? Don't mess with the best...As brothers, you'd think they know that by now.**

* * *

"Ah...old reliable." Michelangelo proclaimed as he happily started on his fourth piece of pizza that night, and then shot a wary glance at Katherine. "Not that I don't appreciate the effort mind you."

"You can just come out and call me a failure." Katherine frowned in return. "What kind of an idiot messes us something like spaghetti?"

"You didn't have to go it alone Kat." Karina pointed out. "There's no shame in letting someone else help you."

"But I have to be able to fend for myself sooner or later! I'm having a kid for crying out loud!" She proclaimed in frustration, even as Luke cast an arm around her back.

"Domestication is overrated Kat." He told her.

She growled something unintelligible, but didn't push him away. "It's a plain mess, that's what it is. I'm going to go get a jump on that stuff before it sits any longer."

"No need," Donatello commented, pointing back in the direction of the kitchen. "Leo already went, and he roped Raph into helping him. Do you have a clue how long it's been since_ he _touched dishes? It's past due."

* * *

The two older turtles took a few seconds to simply survey what needed to be done, before moving to tackle any of it. Raphael experimentally tried to stir a pot of old noodles that were hopelessly stuck together.

"Wow." He stated vaguely.

"What Raph?" Leonardo asked, as he carried another of the pans over to the sink.

"She really can't cook."

"At least she tried. When's the last time you made any effort?" Leonardo challenged him lightly.

"I know the secret to true happiness Fearless - always let other people do what they're good at." Raphael replied with a snort, and then gave Leonardo a sudden double-take as he was about to dump his first dish into the sink. "Hold up a minute here Leo, are we really gonna let this go to waste?"

"I guarantee no one's eating it Raph. What am I _supposed_ to do with it?"

The red-masked turtle glanced down at his own pot, with a look that was more reminiscent of their youngest brother. "We could have some fun."

"You'll need to be a little more specific."

"Let me get at that sink first, see if I can get these noodles separated at all. Then I'll tell you what I'm thinking."

* * *

"Still off by a couple of degrees." Donatello said to himself, as he started to make the necessary adjustment on his telescope.

Brandon got up from the porch stoop where he'd been sitting by Michelangelo, and trotted a couple of feet into the grass to meet the purple-masked turtle. "Need some help?" He offered.

"Sort of. Can you just hold it in that spot, make sure it stays put while I get this part tightened down properly?" Donatello requested.

The man complied while Michelangelo looked on, the turtle not really paying attention when the screen door came open behind him. The shock of watered down noodles cascading over him was surprising enough, let alone when it was followed by the entire pot of ruined marinara sauce. Mike barely made it back to his feet before his older brothers fled the scene back into the house, and Donatello and Brandon abandoned the telescope.

"Don't _move_ Mikey, I'll be right back." Donatello urged him, and disappeared into the lodge himself.

"What's wrong with them?" Brandon actually sounded angry. "Why would they do that?"

He was surprised when a chuckle escaped the turtle.

"I appreciate the concern, but it's not needed. This is an ongoing game with us, and I'm the worst offender. I just didn't realize we were playing _this_ weekend. But if that's how it is, they've got another thing coming."

The purple-banded turtle returned swiftly with an entire roll of paper towels, and shoved some into his brother's hand before trying to help him get it off too.

"Thanks Donny. Geesh, it'd be easier to go jump in the lake, avoid messing up anything inside."

"So what is this game exactly?" Brandon wondered aloud. "That didn't look like much fun to me."

"You just have to get into it Brandon, you'll see. It'll become a lot more obvious when I get them back." Michelangelo replied decisively, as he finally managed to get his eyes back open.

Donatello groaned, but then had to laugh as well. "It's not wise to provoke him. The only thing worse than Mikey's pranks, are his retaliations. But in this case, I'd say they've earned it. You already got something in mind bro?"

"Do I." He said dryly. "But I'll need help for it. Brandon, I don't suppose you'd be willing to take a little drive for me?"

"For revenge? Sure, what do you need?"

"Plastic wrap." He replied unexpectedly.

"You're going to have to explain that one Mikey." Even Donny was clueless as to what he was thinking.

"I found something earlier today, which I think would come in handy tomorrow morning." He answered. "The question is, are you two with me?"

"Whatever you need, I'm your man." Brandon laughed. "What else can I do?"

"How are you at manipulation?"

The man shrugged. "I've fooled some people in my day. Just tell me what you want me to do."

* * *

It was a few minutes after dawn the next morning when all four brothers plus Greg and Brandon gathered under the covered porch this time, stretching for a couple of minutes before going on their planned run. Brandon had finished bracing one leg behind his back, before suddenly glancing over his shoulder.

"Hey I was thinking...rather than a boring old run, why don't we switch this up a bit? I'm ready to see some Ninja Tag in action." He suggested.

Raphael snickered at the man. "Not all of us qualify to play that game."

"Well in_ that _case, let's pair up. That'd make it fair, right?" Brandon pointed out, and then glanced over at the orange-masked turtle. "I call Mikey."

Donatello bounded off the porch, and caught a completely unsuspecting Greg by the arm. "Then I'll take Heff, because he needs all the help he can get."

"And what, that leaves me and Fearless?" Raphael smirked. "Sounds like you guys really wanna lose, but it's your call."

"How are we deciding who's it?" Leonardo asked with a half grin.

"Hang on." Donatello told everyone at once, and then cupped his hands to call back to the open door. "Jenna, c'mere!"

The young woman stuck her head outside a few seconds later. "What's up? Are you guys leaving any time today?"

"Pick a number between one and twenty - we need to figure out who's it." He replied.

Jenna sauntered onto the porch with a nod. "Okay, got one."

When all three "teams" had made their guesses, she motioned to the two older turtles. "You guys were closest. Don't go off killing each other, alright? There is supposed to be a wedding tonight."

Before turning to go back inside, she flashed a wink in Donatello's direction, which only he and Greg noticed.

"What was that for?" The man asked him softly.

"I'll tell you later." Donatello answered under his breath.

"You guys had better get running." Raphael announced. "Two minute head-start, and you're gonna need it."

Michelangelo was perfectly aware of how to cover a trail, but in this case he _wanted _Leonardo and Raphael to follow them. He and Brandon used the head-start to run ahead to the pre-arranged spot, leaving clear footprints and disturbances along the path they'd taken. Then they hunkered down to wait nearby for the other two to come along and spring the trap, after planting one last scrap of one of his orange armbands on top of the scattered leaves as bait.

Brandon gave him a thumbs up as he ducked down beside the turtle with a chuckle. "I think I'm beginning to feel the fun part."

"Just wait Brandon. Show hasn't even started yet."

They stayed completely silent, watching carefully from hiding since they couldn't be sure if they'd be able to hear them coming or not. Michelangelo quietly pumped one fist when his older brothers appeared in the clearing, and then had to cover his own mouth to prevent any premature noise.

Raphael was the first one to see the piece of orange fabric, standing out like a sore thumb on top of the leaves. "There Leo, you see? They're close by, I can practically smell--"

That was the last word he was able to complete before the "earth" gave way under their approach, and they both tumbled head-long into the sink-hole, layered with about four inches of mud. Leonardo corrected enough mid-stumble that he managed to land on his hands and knees instead of his chest, but Raphael hadn't reacted quite as quickly.

As the red-masked turtle scrambled upright with a gasp, Leonardo was lightly fingering what was a remnant piece of plastic wrap, when everything suddenly made sense. The coating had been planted _over _the sink-hole, and then camouflaged with leaves to make it nearly invisible.

"Raph, I'm pretty sure we just got set up."

"Nah,_ really _Leo? What was your first clue?" His brother replied fiercely, as he rubbed somewhat uselessly to get mud out of his eyes.

Leonardo offered him the back of his arm to help, but the turtle only growled louder.

"Where the shell are they? Those cretins are gonna eat this junk before I'm done with 'em."

"We _did _sort of have it coming Raph." Leonardo reminded him, sounding entirely too calm for Raphael's liking.

The red-masked turtle threw him a slightly dark look as Leonardo moved to help him off the ground.

"You know what you've got coming Leo?" He asked dangerously, right before yanking his older brother down with all of his might. "A little face time."

The blue-masked turtle drew back up off his plastron in the mud, and shook his head at Raphael. "Was that necessary?" He asked with the first sign of irritation.

"Sure was Leo. I feel better already."

Leonardo lunged his direction faster than Raphael ever imagined he could move out of the mud, effectively pinning him on his shell. "Yeah, I hear you. I feel better now too!"

"Leo, get OFF!"

It had become impossible to keep laughter quiet between Brandon and Michelangelo anymore.

"It just gets better." The turtle snorted, and Brandon clapped him on the shoulder.

"Have I told you that you're my favorite? Can we do the other part now?" The man asked eagerly.

"Oh yeah, it's been long enough. Grab the other one, and let's go."

They ambled their way casually out of the brush, and walked to the edge of the hole.

"Hey guys!" Michelangelo greeted his older brothers, and Leonardo instantly backed off of Raphael's chest.

It was in _that _moment that a cloud of sand descended on them from two directions, sending them into a slight coughing fit as it came to rest. That was the last straw as far as Raphael was concerned. He forced his way out of the sink-hole with some difficulty ahead of Leonardo, a little surprised when Michelangelo didn't try to run.

"You've got a lot of nerve stickin' around." He seethed as Leonardo joined him.

"I just wanted to suggest the lake to you guys - it worked well for me last night. The temperature was only about fifty degrees though, so I ended up freezing my shell the whole way back. But with the sun up, you shouldn't have that problem." Mike informed them.

Leonardo ducked his head a little sheepishly. "Sorry Mike."

He threw a glance at Raphael, and then elbowed him hard in the side when he didn't respond fast enough.

"Dang Fearless!" He complained, before giving in. "Sorry Mikey, guess I didn't think that one through."

"Nah, it's okay. All's fair in pranks and war. Just don't expect to get away with anything."


	79. Faith

As the two older turtles were climbing back onto the dock out of the water, they noticed that Donatello and Greg were now waiting alongside Michelangelo and Brandon, with grins that were impossible to repress. Raphael scowled and shook his head at the entire group.

"In it together huh? I shouda known. You're all dis-invited by the way."

"You can turn that look away from _me_ Raph, because I knew nothing until about twenty minutes ago." Greg protested.

"As if it would have changed it?" The red-masked turtle challenged.

"Mmm...no. Can't say that it would have." The man replied.

"If you've all had enough entertainment at our expense, I'm going to head back." Leonardo told everyone, but had a hard time maintaining a serious expression as he did.

The others seemed in agreement to follow, except for Raphael who remained standing where he was, merely shifting his weight from one foot to the other as the rest of them turned to go.

"You coming Raphy?" Michelangelo called to him, and the red-masked turtle shook his head.

"Nah. I think I wanna walk for awhile." He replied, and the quick yet meaningful glance he gave Donatello made his younger brother stop in his tracks too.

"Walking sounds good." The purple-masked turtle said thoughtfully. "You guys go ahead, and we'll catch up later."

The two turtles skirted their way around the lake-shore, and then back up the incline to a different portion of the forest that they'd yet to set foot into yet. The trek so far had been a silent one, without either of them saying anything out loud. Donatello knew better than to rush his older brother into anything; if he wanted to talk, he'd get around to it.

The purple-masked turtle didn't mind the quiet anyway - it was such a far departure from what he was used to. Hearing nothing but the birds talking back and forth among the trees and the occasional breeze wasn't entirely a bad thing in his mind. After what had felt like an eternity of solitude to Raphael though, the turtle finally spoke.

"Do you ever still feel like you're holding Jenna back?"

Donatello waited a couple of seconds, even though he had no intention of lying to him. "Yes. I wish I could tell you that it goes away, but it doesn't."

"What do you do about it?"

"I have to remind myself that she has a free will, and no one's forcing her to stay. And I have to trust her, believe that she means it when she says she's happier _with_me than she could be otherwise. I tried to set her free Raph, a bunch of times in those early years, when we separated so often. But she knew the only reason I was attempting to cut it off was for her sake, and she wouldn't stop contacting me...Even if I didn't respond for days. I felt cruel for it, but I was trying to do what I thought was the right thing for her. She's a stubborn one." He added with a chuckle, before getting serious again. "When it comes down to it Raph, all you can do is trust them. That if they weren't happy, or they felt like they were missing too many things, they wouldn't stay."

"But what if what makes 'em happy now, won't be the same as a year from now, or five years from now? I'm not trying to be all negative here on today of all days, but this stuff is going through my head, and I don't know how to deal with it. I don't know how I'd handle losing her Donny. Not that I'd blame her if she did want to leave. Am I just rambling, or does any of this make sense to you genius?"

"Remember who you're talking to here Raph, of course I understand. What you have to accept going into this is that there are no guarantees. No one knows what will happen tomorrow, much less years from now. Sensei said something like that the first time he confronted me about Jenna, because I was shutting everyone else out. He told me that_ all _love carries a degree of risk with it, no matter who or what you are. Giving yourself to someone completely will always bring the danger of being hurt along with it. The question you have to answer is whether or not the risk is worth it to you."

Raphael stared off into the distance for a long moment, but the purple-banded turtle suspected he wasn't actually _seeing_ anything.

"She's worth it." Raphael said after a few more seconds. "It's just hard to let her settle."

"They don't think of it that way Raph. I know it's easier to say that than to believe it. But you have to trust her, you have to be able to put faith in what you've got, or there's no sense in going through with this at all."

"I trust _her_ Donny, it's feelings that I'm afraid could change. And I do want her to be happy, even if it's not with me."

"I hadn't been sensing this kind of doubt from you bro. Where's this actually coming from right now?"

"I don't know...timing maybe. We've only known each other a few months. Is it too soon Donny? I mean, we all give you a hard time about it, but it seems like waiting could have helped you and Jen, like cemented things stronger. I have to wonder if that's part of the reason it could work at all."

"Raph, I had doubts too. But you know that most of the reason I waited so long is because we were apart for months at a time, and her parents knew nothing about me."

"What you're really saying is, I have it easier than you did." Raphael remarked.

"Don't put it that way Raph, in fact, don't even compare our relationships side by side. They were both born out of completely different seasons in our lives, and each grew at its' own rate. Focus on where you are here, not on the way that Jen and I did it. You love Karina, and you already said she's worth the risk. All that's left to do is take her at her word, and commit yourself to her for better or worse."

Raphael nodded, and looked down as he kicked at a stone in his path. "I wish I could talk to Sensei about her."

"So do I." Donatello said softly.

"I didn't expect to miss him as much today as I do. Why do I get the feeling that if he was here, all the questions in my mind would suddenly be answered?"

"They wouldn't be." Donatello responded. "And he'd say that it's just the way things are. 'Even the wisest cannot see the path that lies yet out of sight'."

"So the only way to find out is to keep going." Raphael mused, and then focused amber eyes back on his brother. "I was sort of nervous going into this feeling these uncertainties. But that's just life, huh? Like you said, there's no guarantees."

"Just faith Raph." Donatello replied pointedly.

His older brother turned suddenly, and captured him by one arm around the neck. "Thanks Donny."

* * *

"You didn't lose my fiance out there, did you?" Karina had to ask when all of them returned minus Raphael and Donatello.

"Nope, he just wanted to take in a little more scenery." Leonardo replied evenly, as he shifted his still soaking wet cloak from one arm to the other.

"What's the deal? You could have taken that off first if you were going swimming." Tim suggested mischievously.

Leonardo shot him a bit of a dark look, as Luke shook his head at no one in general.

"You guys couldn't behave yourselves for one weekend." Luke remarked.

"_They _started it Doc!" Michelangelo insisted.

"For once." Leonardo retorted. "I'm taking this to dry outside, feel free to continue relishing."

"Thanks Fearless, I will."

Leonardo headed out the back door of the kitchen, and stepped outside onto the attached deck. Calley was there, leaning against one of the railings as she gazed over the tops of the surrounding trees. She jolted slightly when he suddenly turned up beside her.

"You've got to get a handle on that." She said mock sternly. "I'll have a heart attack before I'm 30."

"I'm sorry, it's hard to turn off." He couldn't help grinning under her cursory gaze, even as the glance shifted to the cloak he was hanging over the railing.

"Have some fun with your brothers?"

"Yeah, fun. You'll hear all about it I'm sure, I won't make you listen to it twice." He replied, lightly brushing back blond hair that was nearly covering one eye again. "I'm glad you kept the cut - it really works for you."

"It grew on me." She said a little ironically, and he chuckled at her.

"You've been hanging around Mikey too much."

Calley reached for one of his hands, drawing it closer to the railing where she was still standing. "Sometimes, I don't believe this is my life. I've felt that before, just never in a positive light. Part of me is still waiting to wake up."

"Donny says people aren't likely to dream about mutant turtles." Leonardo told her as he rested his shell against the railing, and then noticed a familiar notebook on the table. "I can't believe you brought that." He said somewhat reproachfully.

"The test is next month Leo, I want to be ready for it. Notice how much studying I'm getting done." She finished jokingly as she pressed against his shoulder.

"There comes a point when you need to take a break from everything, and now is as good a time as any." He encouraged her, enjoying the tingle down his spine that the closer contact with her gave him.

"I'm so glad to be here." She said softly. "Not just here location wise...but_ here_." Calley emphasized by looking directly into his eyes.

Leonardo didn't say anything right away, trying to simply enjoy the moment without the pressure of having to come up with the perfect thing to say in response. Only one thing even came to mind at all, and the two words spilled out a few seconds later.

"Me too."

* * *

When Raphael and Donatello returned that afternoon, Leonardo made a point to pull them aside with Mike to the loft area of the Lodge, to escape as just the four of them for awhile. They stretched out in the customary circle on the rug, a small amount of the usual banter crossing between them before actually getting anywhere close to being serious.

"So. Who wants to start?" The blue-banded turtle asked with a hint of a smile.

"Ah shell, I knew you had some ulterior motive." Raphael groaned. "Do we _have _to start the lovefest early?"

"Won't be embarassing Raph, I promise." Leonardo told him, eyeing his other brothers at the same moment.

"Things are going to change, but there's other stuff that never will." Donatello said first. "We'll always be your brothers, we'll always have your back, and we'll always be around to point out when you're being a shell-head." He finished with the crack, simply as an attempt to ease the sentimental tone that his brother loved so much.

"You should put that in a greeting card." Raphael commented.

"I've thought about submitting it."

"And I'll still be around to lighten you up when you're getting too serious." Michelangelo added. "And to devote more time to laughing with you, instead of _at _you."

"That goes both ways, and you'd better not forget it." Raphael said a little threateningly, before looking at Leonardo expectantly. "What Fearless? What do you wanna say?"

"That's you've got everything you need inside you, and you shouldn't question it. You know that strength isn't just about how tough you talk, or how many guys you can knock out in a fight. It's about the decisions you make, and the tenacity to keep going. You've been through a lot in this last year Raph, stuff that could have destroyed about anyone. But you didn't quit, and you also didn't let it hinder you from opening up to Karina.

If Sensei were here I know he'd be proud of you, just like the rest of us. You don't ever have to wonder about that."


	80. Adored

*** You never could have convinced me that a "little" old story featuring Leonardo and Raphael in the prominent positions would ever have turned out to be another of my favorite projects yet. Here at the end of it I **_**do **_**feel like I've partially made up for certain portrayals in earlier fics of mine, as well as some of the absurdities I've put Raphael through.**

**The song I've included in this chapter is called "Adored", and it's by Collective Soul. I heartily recommend looking it up on Youtube so that you can get the entire effect from it. Yes, I know there are those of you out there thinking with rational minds, who could easily point out how difficult it would be for the guys to play something as small as a guitar string. My reasoning goes that if they've figured out a way to dial a cellphone, type on a keyboard, or any of the other minute work Donatello has to do with his hands, by jove they could play an instrument too. ;)**

**

* * *

**

Night had long fallen now, and nearly everyone else was either outside, or already downstairs at least. Raphael had been stealing a couple more private minutes alone in the loft, and was only just glancing at his watch for the time again when he heard footsteps on the spiral-staircase.

"It's cool!" He called over his shoulder to whoever it happened to be, "I'm on my way right now."

"Take your time Raph, nobody's going anywhere." An unexpected voice told him.

The red-masked turtle spun around instantly. "Karina, you're not supposed to...be.."

When Raphael caught sight of her, words escaped him entirely. She was already dressed, and had been for some time. Her burnished hair was pulled back tightly at her neck, with hibiscus blossoms ranging from dark blue to purple posed in the partial up-do. Her dress was a light antique gold that nipped in at her waist, only to fall back in subtle layers around her sandaled feet.

"You look..."

"Different?" She suggested with a smile.

"Beautiful. I was looking for a better word, but I don't think it exists."

She was moved by the slight awe in his tone, and it made her duck her head a little shyly. "It was my Mom's. She did this trade exchange with another working Venezuelan professional, gave away a years' worth of dance lessons to the woman's daughter to get it."

"I think it was worth it Kari, but what are you doing? We're not supposed to be together yet, are we?"

"I'm sorry for ruining it, but I had to see you." She said evenly. "We hadn't so much as crossed paths today, and then you were gone for a pretty long time. I wanted to make sure that you were okay. I'm feeling kind of guilty for how I pushed you into this. It wasn't really fair of me to put you on the spot at a time like that."

"Kari, you didn't push me into anything that I didn't already want. I needed to get the 'Sensei' talk from Donny....minus Sensei of course."

"Raph, if you're not sure--"

"I couldn't be more sure of how I feel about you. I just needed to hear from someone who's been in the same place that I'm in now."

She reached out to stroke the turtle's jawline, searching his amber eyes for any uncertainty that belied his words. "I'm not going to change my mind you know." She said softly. "I hope that you believe that."

He nodded at her. "You wouldn't have asked if you didn't want it." He replied with a characteristic half grin. "How'd you sneak away from the others?"

"It wasn't as hard as it sounds, they're busy with other things. But they'll probably notice that they can't find_ either _of us any minute here."

"Still, they can't start without us, right?" He pointed out impishly, right before she cocked her head to kiss him.

They lingered in it for a couple of seconds, before she took a step backwards. "We'd better not keep them waiting and wondering."

He paused to take in the full sight of her again, exhaling quietly out of his own amazement.

"Do you think you could completely forget what I look like before coming back downstairs?" She asked jokingly.

"I doubt it, but I could _try_ to give myself another concussion."

"No, don't you dare! It was hard enough getting you to fall for me twice, I don't want to risk a third time."

He had to laugh at that. "Woman, I think I'd fall for you any day of the week."

* * *

The red-masked turtle let her go downstairs ahead of him, and Karina escaped the notice of everyone with the exception of an exasperated Katherine who'd been looking for her.

"Seriously Karina? What were the two of you doing that couldn't have waited until later?" Her sister demanded.

"Our consciences are clear." She stated lightly. "Now, where do you want me?"

"Apparently you don't need to hide from Raph anymore, but it would still be nice for you to stay out of the way until he goes outside." Katherine answered, drawing her back down the hall by her arm.

Raphael came downstairs after that, and headed for the back lot behind the Lodge where everyone was supposed to be gathering. He walked out the door to be greeted by torchlight, and cracked both knuckles somewhat self-consciously in front of him as he moved to join his brothers who were already waiting in a specific spot.

"Everything okay?" Leonardo murmured under his breath.

"Yup, it's all good." He replied.

It wasn't a complete surprise to see Karina a couple of minutes later, but the way the firelight played off of her dress and hair did add another element into the mix, making her feel like even more a vision than when he'd first laid eyes on her that night. The red-masked turtle swallowed deeply as he fought to contain the emotion that leaped up inside of him, a mixture of awe and joy, mingled with a hint of sadness that his father couldn't be there.

Leonardo was officiating just like Donatello's own ceremony years ago, but Raphael wasn't listening well at first. He knew his brothers were still standing there, and that everyone else was gathered nearby, but in that instant Karina was the only other one that existed in his mind.

_How can any of this even be real? How does somebody like her even lay down their whole life by choice?_

Raphael was familiar with the need to trust someone else, to count on them to have his back. He'd relied on his brothers for his whole life to be there for him, and not to give him up for the wild no matter how bad his attitude got. This was a different kind of trust, more difficult to achieve maybe, but at least equally as powerful. As the woman reached for his hand and captured him in a meaningful glance, he realized he didn't need to force the issue of faith. Though he couldn't explain in words _how_ he knew, he recognized in her eyes that it was all just as real for her as it was for him.

The fact that he hadn't really been listening to Leonardo this whole time suddenly came back to bite him, as silence lapsed over the ceremony.

"Raph?" The blue-banded turtle said questioningly. "Do you want to do your part?"

"My what?" Raphael asked, and then caught Donatello's gesture toward the acoustic guitar out of the corner of his eye. "Oh, my part." He said understandingly.

Raphael took a step back from Karina to retrieve the guitar from his younger brother, shooting him a grateful look for having the presence of mind to remember to have it tuned for him. "There's a lot of things I could say right now Kari." He said a little thoughtfully, as he lightly stroked a couple of the strings. "But I don't think any of it could be summed up better than the way this song does."

With another exhaled, he started strumming the instrument a little more seriously.

_"I can say this life is _

_Much better today._

_Everything turns right if_

_Wrong gets in the way._

_Yeah I've got this feeling_

_It's something I find hard to explain_

_See I wasn't looking_

_But girl, I'm glad I fell in your way._

_xxxx_

_Then she says "Oh boy, oh boy_

_Count your lucky stars_

_Count what you've been wishing for._

_Oh boy, oh boy_

_Count the life you lead_

_Count how you are now...adored."_

_xxxx_

_I can say the sun burns_

_Much brighter today._

_I can see my path though_

_Clouds darken my way._

_Yeah I've got this feeling_

_It's something I find hard to explain._

_See I wasn't looking_

_But girl, I'm glad I fell in your way._

_xxxx_

_Then she says "Oh boy, oh boy_

_Count your lucky stars_

_Count what you've been wishing for._

_Oh boy, oh boy_

_Count the life you lead_

_Count how you are now...adored."_

When he stopped, it was as if the surrounding world went still with him, while the red-masked turtle put the guitar down and tried to gather coherent thoughts. "I never thought anybody could look at me the way that you do. In my wildest dreams I might have wondered what it would be like, but not in the sense that it could happen. Enough has been said about this last year to last me my whole life. But I won't ever be able to escape it completely, because it would take away from where you came in Karina. I don't know how it happened, and I'm past the point of trying to figure it out. Instead I'm just counting my lucky stars that you're here, and putting all the faith I've got into the crazy belief that this is meant to be, and that it will last."

Karina tried desperately to steady her own voice, so that she could perform some semblance of the speech that had been running through her mind for days. In the end, it went out the window completely.

"What can I say right now? I feel so full inside, to the point that joy is going to come bursting out of me because there's no more room for it. I had no idea it was possible to really be this happy. You know my story, that I used to spend most of my time worrying about keeping everyone else satisfied around me. That was all that mattered. In my backward thinking, I thought that conforming to whatever I thought they wanted from me was the only way that I could be accepted.

I've never felt more free in any relationship until I met you. I'd never hit anyone until I met you." She couldn't help adding with a chuckle. "It's been the most incredible ride of ups, and some downs. And while others could look at it from the outside and say that emotions can be fickle, I know that what we have is deeper than that. It's deeper than attraction (although I feel that), and more meaningful than common interests. Some people think that's enough, and they get by with it just fine. But what I hold inside for you is what I think is the closest human equivalent of unfailing love.

I love you, exactly the way you are. I wouldn't change you. You've given me more than you even understand that you have. And losing you, would be like losing my own life in a way. I _do _adore you, and I promise to continue loving you, imperfections and all. We both have them, but it doesn't change who we are. I also promise not to step in between the bond you have with your brothers, which is something that should never be broken."

When it was clear that she was finished, Leonardo nodded at both of them. "And our hope is that yours would never be broken either. None of us believe in accidents or coincidences. Though we don't understand how, we recognize that there's a pattern, and see that there's a plan somewhere behind all the craziness of our world. A world that won't be able to recognize or acknowledge how powerful of a thing that the two of you have. But that doesn't change how real it is.

While no ceremony we perform can be _legally_ binding, we believe it's actually bigger than that. The piece of paper isn't what blesses a marriage, or keeps it strong. Your commitment to each other will do that. It'll take both of you working to make it last, to make it permanent. But I can speak for all of us when I say, I know you have it in you."

There were other words, but they too melded into the surrounding darkness, interrupted only by the flickering flames of the torches. Karina was in his arms again, and when she kissed him, every trial of the last year seemed no louder than a whisper, compared to how he felt in that most poignant moment.


End file.
